Brisbane Heat sign Jess Kerr for WBBL as Danni Wyatt's arrival is delayed

The England batter will miss the first week of the competition following the conclusion of the summer. Pooja Vastrakar will also join up late, leading to Heat adding another overseas player

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Brisbane Heat have signed up Jess Kerr for her first Women's Big Bash League season in response to the late delayed arrival of Danni Wyatt and Pooja Vastrakar.

Pooja is currently with India at the Asia Cup, which runs until October 16.

Should they reach the final, the allrounder and teammates Jemimah Rodrigues (Melbourne Stars) and Harmanpreet Kaur (Melbourne Renegades) will be absent for the first batch of matches.

England batter Wyatt, previously of the Renegades, will also join up a week late after a decision by the ECB following a busy summer.

Sophie Ecclestone links up with Sydney Sixers next week and Alice Capsey and Lauren Winfield-Hill are Melbourne-bound to join the Stars group.

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Wyatt has had a busy summer with England (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

The timing of Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont's arrival at Sydney Thunder is yet to be confirmed.

Kerr joins sister Amelia at Heat from the West Indies tour and is available from the opening game against Sydney Sixers on October 13.

In 16 T20Is for New Zealand, the 24-year-old has taken a dozen wickets with an economy rate of 5.74.

She was part of the London Spirit squad during the women's Hundred, though went was unused during the competition. Previously, Kerr had been named as part of the White Ferns' Commonwealth Games party but had to withdraw with a foot problem.

"Jess is a proven international performer and great person to boot," said Heat coach Ashley Noffke.

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Pooja is currently with India at the Asia Cup (Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)

"She provides a really good balance to our attack and will enjoy the chance to play alongside her sister in the WBBL.

"She's no stranger to the Heat having been around the club in the past with her family when Melie has played with us, and we're excited to have her bring her determination and skills to our group."

Heat have also been hit by the loss of Zoe Cooke, ruled out with a back injury, with 16-year-old Lucy Hamilton called in as a local player replacement.

"It’s very unfortunate for Zoe that she will miss the tournament and we wish her a speedy recovery," Noffke said.

"Lucy has been around the group a bit now for the past 12 months and so this is a great opportunity for her to continue her development.

"She’s learning a lot about her game and we’re very pleased with how she is continuing to grow into her role as a left-arm quick."


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