Strikers sign promising teenage speedster

Adelaide Strikers have signed one of the country’s fastest young bowlers for the next three Rebel WBBL seasons.

Darcie Brown is just 16 years old but has been clocked at speeds up to 116km/h and has already represented Australia’s Under 19s, having toured New Zealand earlier this year.

Brown is the youngest player to ever sign with the Big Bash club and while she’ll be combining high school with cricket for the next two years, new Strikers coach Luke Williams said the club had jumped at the chance to lock in the precocious talent.

"It’s a wonderful opportunity for Darcie to join our group," Williams said.

"She’s just an exceptionally exciting young talent and just for her to mix with the calibre of players we’ve got both from an overseas point of view and our locals, will be great for her development.

"Raw pace is obviously Darcie’s main attribute and she is certainly learning more and more around the tactics of the game and using different variations.

"Her key strength is to bowl fast so we would be encouraging her whenever she gets the opportunity to play to do just that. That’s going to be her point of difference in the competition."

Born and raised in Kapunda, near the Barossa Valley, Brown moved to Adelaide to complete her schooling at Henley High earlier this year.

Her signing rounds out the Strikers’ 15-player WBBL squad, which has seen them add the prowess of former Stars batter Katie Mack, while the club has lured West Indies superstar Stafanie Taylor across from the Thunder.

Taylor joins New Zealand ‘smash sisters’ Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine in an enviable international trio, while Adelaide again boast the abilities of the world’s top-ranked limited-overs bowler in Australian spearhead Megan Schutt.

The Strikers will travel to Melbourne on Wednesday for a training camp, playing two practice matches against the ICC Global Women’s Development squad.

Adelaide begin their WBBL campaign at Karen Rolton Oval on October 19.

Adelaide Strikers WBBL|05 squad: Suzie Bates (NZ), Darcie Brown, Sarah Coyte, Sophie Devine (NZ), Ellie Falconer, Katie Mack, Tahlia McGrath, Tegan McPharlin, Annie O’Neil, Bridget Patterson, Alex Price, Tabatha Saville, Megan Schutt, Stafanie Taylor (West indies), Amanda-Jade Wellington, Lauren Winfield (Eng, replacement)