| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Hannah Joy Darlington | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 25 January 2002 Sydney, New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| ODI debut(cap 145) | 21 September 2021 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 24 September 2021 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut(cap 55) | 7 October 2021 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 9 October 2021 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–present | Sydney Thunder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–20 | Otago | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–present | New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hannah Joy Darlington (born 25 January 2002) is an Australian cricketer who made her debut for the national women's team in September 2021. A right-arm medium-pace bowler,Darlington previously was the captain of the Sydney Thunder in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) and vice-captain of the New South Wales Breakers in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL). [1] [2] In 2021,she won the Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year award. [3]
Hailing from Erskine Park in Western Sydney,Darlington has Indigenous heritage and identifies as a member of the Kamilaroi people. [4] While in primary school,she accidentally hit a teacher in the head with a ball and was given a choice of attending detention or joining the cricket team,prompting her formal introduction to the sport. [5] She completed her HSC at Westfields Sports High School. [6] [7]
At 15 years of age,Darlington signed with the Sydney Thunder ahead of the 2017–18 Women's Big Bash League season. [8] In 2018,she was selected as the captain for the Thunder's first female Indigenous XI. [9] [10]
Darlington earned her WBBL debut in the opening match of the 2019–20 season on the same day of her Year 12 English exam. [4] She made her first major impression on the league in her third appearance by taking a difficult match-winning catch on the last ball of a three-run victory against the Melbourne Renegades at Blacktown ISP Oval. Primarily contributing to the team through her medium-pace bowling,Darlington claimed 16 wickets during the tournament at an economy rate of 6.82,leading to her winning the WBBL|05 Young Gun Award and being named the Thunder's Player of the Season. [11] [12]
After overcoming a lower-leg injury early in the 2020–21 season,Darlington affirmed her status as "one of the best death bowlers" [13] in the league—on 8 November at Hurstville Oval,for example,she restricted the Hobart Hurricanes to nine runs off the final over of the match to help secure a one-run victory. [14] The "level-headed" [15] teenager then delivered her first Player of the Match performance in a "chaotic" [16] semi-final against the Brisbane Heat,claiming figures of 3/19 and sparking a memorable comeback victory. The Thunder would go on to defeat the Melbourne Stars in the final,and Darlington was named in the WBBL|06 Team of the Tournament. [17]
Having missed out on a WNCL contract for the 2019–20 season,Darlington opted to spend much of the summer overseas playing for the Otago Sparks in New Zealand's domestic T20 competition,the Women's Super Smash. [18] She took 13 wickets at an economy rate of 5.75 throughout the tournament while her team finished in third place,losing to the Auckland Hearts in an elimination final. [19] [20]
Darlington made her debut for the New South Wales Breakers during the 2019–20 Women's National Cricket League season,taking 2/29 from ten overs in a one-wicket victory against Tasmania. [21] [22] On 26 February 2021,at 19 years and 31 days,she became the youngest-ever captain in New South Wales' 165-year history of senior cricket teams,standing in for regular Breakers captain Alyssa Healy in a WNCL match against Tasmania which ended in a tie. [23]
Darlington was selected for an Indigenous team which toured the United Kingdom in 2018 as a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the 1868 Aboriginal tour of England. [24] In March 2019,she toured New Zealand as a member of the Australian Under-19 squad,though the trip ended prematurely due to the Christchurch terror attack. [18]
Darlington was named in Australia's limited overs squad for their tour of New Zealand in March 2021, [25] [26] but was not selected in the playing XI during the six-match schedule. She was then named in Australia's squad for a multi-format series against India later in the year. [27] During the series,Darlington made her Women's One Day International (WODI) debut on 21 September 2021, [28] as well as her Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) debut on 7 October 2021. [29]
In January 2022,Darlington was named in Australia's squad for their series against England to contest the Women's Ashes. [30] Later the same month,she was named as a reserve in Australia's team for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. [31] However,she subsequently withdrew from the squad to take a break from cricket,and was replaced by Heather Graham. [32] [33]