England’s Western Storm on Friday announced that India all-rounder Deepti Sharma will be part of their team for the KIA Super League for the upcoming season. The 21-year-old is currently second the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings.
Sharma has played in 30 T20s, taking 28 wickets with her off-spin at an average 22.92. She has also featured in 48 ODIs, taking 56 wickets at an average 27.39 with a best of 6/20. Sharma also averages 41.81 with the bat in ODI cricket and has India’s highest individual score of 188.
“I am looking forward to the challenge of playing in the KIA Super League. Every player wants to play alongside and against the best in the world, and this will give me the opportunity to do that,” Sharma was quoted as saying by the team’s website.
“I have heard good things about Western Storm from Smriti and I can’t wait to contribute to the team’s success on the field.”
Last year, opener Smriti Mandhana had a dream debut in the league, also playing for Western Storm.
Coach Trevor Griffin said: “Deepti is a quality player with a huge amount of experience at the very highest level and she will bring something a little bit different to our squad this year.
“Continuity of selection is something that has played a huge roll in our success over the last few years, and therefore we felt it was important to sign overseas players who will be with us for the duration of the campaign.”
Sharma will be the second overseas player in the Western Storm setup. “She’s still only 21 but she will bring a huge amount of experience and knowledge to our dressing room. She is currently rated as the second-best all-rounder in the world in one-day cricket by the ICC, so her quality is there for all to see.”
The Agra-born player’s teammate Jemimah Rodrigues will be featuring for Yorkshire Diamonds in the upcoming season.
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