Hobart Hurricanes add Lizelle Lee for WBBL

Having pulled out of a spell last year, the South African batter returns for the eighth edition of the competition

Lizelle Lee will return to Hobart Hurricanes for the Women's Big Bash League.

The South African batter, who retired from international cricket earlier this month, signed up as an overseas player last year but withdrew with bubble fatigue.

But the 30-year-old has signed up with Hurricanes again, her third different WBBL team.

Her record in the Australian domestic competition is an impressive one, with 1,361 runs, including two centuries, in 53 matches across spells at Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades.

"Some people might know that I was originally meant to join the Hurricanes last year, but due to a combination of my family circumstances, international commitments and bubble fatigue, for the sake our my own and my family’s well-being, I just couldn’t make it work," she said.

^{(George Wood/Getty Images)}

"My good friend and South African teammate, Mignon [Du Preez], said she really enjoyed her time in the Hurricanes environment last season, so that, on top of the great conversations I've had with Sall and the team, I can't wait to get stuck in and see what it's like for myself this year."

Head coach Salliann Briggs will hope the arrival of the explosive opener can help improve on the Hurricanes' recent WBBL returns, which have seen them fail to get out of the group since 2016-17.

Confirmation of the move is evidence Cricket South Africa will not deny Lee a No Objective Certificate to play in overseas competitions.

In the wake of her international retirement, Lee alleged CSA had threatened to block her involvement in The Hundred. She is scheduled to again represent Manchester Originals and is expected to be free to do so.

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