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England captain Heather Knight has been confirmed as the captain of the Sydney Thunder side in the upcoming season of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), said the club on Thursday. Heather will be taking the leadership role from the retired Rachael Haynes.

Heather was previously a member of the Thunder side which won the WBBL title in 2020-21 season. Scoring 446 runs in her 16 appearances, she remains in the top 10 run scorers in Thunder’s WBBL history.

It also means Heather will be re-united with former England head coach Lisa Keightley at the club. Heather and Lisa were together at the side from 2019-2022 guiding the team to the 2022 ODI World Cup runners-up finish and reaching semi-finals in the 2020 T20 World Cup.

“I’ve known Heather for a long time, we worked closely together in the England set up and found our leadership styles complimented each other well. I’m looking forward to her arrival and setting out what we plan to achieve this summer.”

“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. 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,” said Lisa in a statement issued by the club.

Thunder start their WBBL season nine campaign against rivals Sydney Sixers at North Sydney Oval on October 22. Through the inaugural WBBL Overseas Draft in August, they picked up premier South Africa all-rounder Marizanne Kapp and Heather’s England team-mate, pacer Lauren Bell.