Vlaeminck poised for long-awaited Renegades return

Tayla Vlaeminck's long wait to once again wear the Renegades red is poised to come to an end this October after the Australia quick signed a new one-year deal with the club.

Vlaeminck's searing pace will be a welcome addition to the Renegades after a horror WBBL|09 that yielded just two wins and saw them finish on the bottom of the table, while the club has also locked in key allrounder Sarah Coyte and quick Georgia Prestwidge, both for another two years.

The trio's re-signing continues a flurry of contract news for the club, who earlier this week announced they had lured wicketkeeper-batter Nicole Faltum and rising quick Milly Illingworth across from the Stars.

The addition of Illingworth, who boasts raw pace, to an attack featuring the experience of Vlaeminck, Coyte and Prestwidge is a mouth-watering prospect for WBBL|10. 

"Locking away a quality pace attack is a massive tick ahead of the new season," Renegades general manager James Rosengarten said.

"All four bowlers offer us something different. We're excited to have a mix of seamers with different skill sets who can take the new ball, come in at the death and trouble bowlers with variation or raw pace.

"Tayla has worked so hard to get back to playing cricket and playing well. We're excited to see her back in red and have the impact we know she can have on our side.

"The prospect of Tayla and Milly steaming in should really excite Gades fans this season."

Renegades squad (so far) for WBBL|10: Sarah Coyte, Josie Dooley, Nicole Faltum, Ella Hayward, Milly Illingworth, Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Sophie Molineux, Georgia Prestwidge, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb

 

Ins: Nicole Faltum (Stars), Milly Illingworth (Stars). Outs: Jess Duffin (retired)

 

Local players off contract: Ellen Falconer, Erica Kershaw, Rhiann O’Donnell, Sara Kennedy and Emma de Broughe (local replacement players)

 

WBBL|09 overseas players: Harmanpreet Kaur (India), Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Tammy Beaumont (England)

 

WBBL|10 Draft picks: 3, 11, 22, 27

Vlaeminck returned to the Renegades from Hobart Hurricanes in 2022 ahead of WBBL|08 but she did not play a single game in her first two seasons back with the club due to injury.

The 25-year-old was in the middle of a long rehabilitation from her second serious foot injury when she ended her three-year stint with the Hurricanes to rejoin the club where she started her career back in 2016.

Vlaeminck's hopes of playing last season were then dashed when she underwent a shoulder reconstruction after injuring the joint during Australia A's tour of England in mid-2023.

But Vlaeminck made a long-awaited comeback to domestic cricket for Victoria last summer, then in March made an emotional return to the international stage during Australia's tour of Bangladesh.

"I've loved being around this group so it will be nice to actually get out in the field with the girls and play after a couple of seasons running the drinks," Vlaeminck said.

"I've loved having Presto around the state squad, I was lucky enough to play a couple of games with her now for Victoria so it will be great to play alongside her in red … I haven't played with Coytey before (but) she's the ultimate competitor and we love that."

Coyte and Prestwidge meanwhile will play their third seasons for the Renegades after making the shift from the Strikers and Heat respectively ahead of WBBL|08.

The Renegades have also locked in West Indies captain Hayley Matthews as their pre-draft overseas signing, securing the star allrounder on a one-year deal.