Heather Knight named captain of Sydney Thunder for WBBL

England captain Heather Knight will lead Sydney Thunder in this year's WBBL, taking over from the retired Rachael Haynes.

Thunder finished bottom last season but had a strong draft last month where they secured South Africa allrounder Marizanne Kapp and England quick Lauren Bell alongside Knight.

It means that Knight will link back up in a leadership capacity with former England coach Lisa Keightley who took over in charge of Thunder to replace Trevor Griffin after the 2022-23 campaign brought just one win in 14 matches.

Knight was previously part of the Thunder side which won the title in 2020-21 when she was their leading run-scorer with 446 at 40.54 and a strike-rate of 124.92.

"We're thrilled to have Heather captain Thunder this summer. She's an incredibly experienced leader and the perfect fit to take us into this new era at the club." Keightley said. "She's one of the most gutsy and determined individuals I've worked with and I'm excited to see the effect she'll have on the group.

"Her positive energy will be a great asset to an already strong side with the other international signings and domestic players we have lined up."

Thunder start their WBBL campaign with a local derby against Sydney Sixers at North Sydney Oval on October 22