The Hobart Hurricanes continue to lock in their squad for WBBL|12, with Lauren Smith and Ruth Johnston returning to the defending champions.
Smith enters her third season in purple after joining the Hurricanes ahead of WBBL|10 following nine seasons in Sydney, while Johnston continues her association with the franchise she made her WBBL debut for in 2021.
An experienced off-spinner, Smith played all 11 matches during the Hurricanes’ championship-winning WBBL|11 campaign and proved an important part of Hobart’s bowling attack.
The 29-year-old claimed seven wickets across the tournament and was particularly effective at restricting opposition batters, finishing with the best economy rate of any Hurricanes bowler – and third best in the competition - at just 6.4 runs per over.
Her return adds further experience and variety to a Hurricanes bowling group that has retained the majority of its core from last season’s title-winning outfit.
“I have absolutely loved my time with the Hurricanes since I've come down, I was having a long hard think if I wanted to explore other places, but our coaching staff down here and the club and the people and the organisation is really hard to say no to,” Smith said.
“We've kept some of the core group together, and I absolutely love some of the girls that we play with down here, and we do have Kristen Beams on as our bowling coach, who I've got to work with this preseason and I absolutely love picking at her and her ideas.
“We have lots of depth within our squad with spin definitely, and I think that's going to work for us this season and hopefully, we can get that trophy again.”
Johnston, meanwhile, remains an exciting part of the Hurricanes squad despite already having considerable WBBL experience at just 23 years of age.
The Queensland product burst onto the scene with the Hurricanes as a teenager and has played 42 WBBL matches, offering versatility with both bat and ball.
Her return provides the Hurricanes with another dynamic option as they continue preparations for their WBBL|12 title defence.
“We have such a great team, and the environment and just the experience that all of our players have, it's pretty exciting to be involved in,” Johnston said.
“While not having played as much of a role last year, still being involved and making myself ready for whatever comes, I think it's pretty exciting to be involved in the success.
“I feel like I can be quite flexible with whatever role that's handed my way. I've had experience in opening and in the middle order, but I'm just happy to be out there and hitting the ball hard and doing my thing.”
Hobart Hurricanes Memberships and tickets are available now.