The rise of Australian young gun Hannah Darlington has continued with the 19-year-old named Sydney Thunder captain for the WBBL season.
Darlington, who starred for the Thunder last summer on their path to the WBBL title, steps into the role with Rachael Haynes unavailable indefinitely following the birth of her son Hugo, quarantine restrictions and a hamstring injury.
It's the latest tick of approval for the teenager, who claimed 19 wickets at an average of 13.68 in last summer's tournament before going on to make her Australia debut in the recently completed multi-format series against India.
"To have this opportunity to step in for Rach, who has had a massive influence on definitely my leadership style but also a lot of this group, is definitely special," Darlington said.
"I'm ready to lead a team that I'm passionate about being a part of."
The Thunder begin their WBBL campaign against the Adelaide Strikers in Hobart on Saturday.
It's not the first time Darlington has captained a senior team after she became the youngest skipper in NSW's 165-year history in February, leading her state in a tied WNCL clash against Tasmania.
"It was actually an amazing experience to captain the Breakers," said Darlington, who became the third Indigenous cricketer to play for the Australian women's team in her ODI debut in Mackay last month.
"I definitely learned a lot through that experience and just knowing that I'm willing to make those decisions and be able to kind of lead from the front, which I think in those two games I was able to achieve.
"It's prepared me quite well to take on the Thunder reins."
Australian Associated Press
