THERE have been many twists and turns in the cricketing career of Molly Strano. Well known these days for her spin bowling prowess, that was not always the case. She was originally a pace bowler, but made the change to ensure her career would keep progressing.

“I was actually a pace bowler right through my junior career, and I only started bowling off-spin when I was 17,” Strano said. “I was a bit of a late bloomer and it was just a bit of a joke at the time when I started bowling offies.

“I started to ply my trade at club level and noticed that if I was going to sneak my way into the Victorian team it was going to be more so for my bowling rather than my batting, which as a junior I was probably more of a batter that bowled a bit of pace.

“So as I got to the age of 17 to 18, and I was around the Vic set up I really wanted to forge my way into the team and I knew that that opportunity was going to present itself as more so an off-spinner than a batter.”

Originally from Victoria, Strano left the state after the 2020/21 season due to the lack of opportunities she was getting in the Big V. Reading the writing on the wall, she decided to move to Tasmania where she was already well connected.

“I already had a few really good connections and friends down in Tasmania,” Strano said. “I knew Salliann Beams really well, and I’ve known her probably for a good three or four years before moving down to Tassie.

“At the time she was the head coach and she’s been pestering me for a couple of years to consider the move down south to the Apple Isle, and then at the end of my last winter in Victoria I had a really good think about it and yeah decided to make the move across the Bass Strait and come and play for Tassie. I’ve been down here for 18 months and am thoroughly enjoying my time from a personal perspective and from a cricketing perspective.”

Shifting allegiances in the WNCL was not the only move Strano made that summer, trading Melbourne Renegades red for Hobart Hurricanes purple in the WBBL. It was a natural move for Strano, who wanted to “wholeheartedly” play her cricket out of Blundestone Arena.

Speaking of the Hurricanes, the wins and losses ledger this WBBL season may indicate an up and down start to the year for those in purple, but Strano pointed out another factor that has hampered their season.  

“We’ve had a bit of an indifferent start and we’ve had a couple of rain affected matches too which sort of hinders your momentum a little bit,” she said. “Some of the other teams have probably played two or three games more than us, so in that sense we feel like we haven’t played much cricket.

“We’re sort of sitting middle of the pack and we’ve got three games at home upcoming in quick succession, which I think will be really important for our team. We love playing at home and we play Blundestone Arena well, we’ve got a game plan that sets us up to succeed when we execute on that ground, so I think it’s really timely for our team.

“We’ve got three games in quick succession, it allows us to get some good games under our belt and gather a little momentum, so hopefully we can do really well at home and if we can pinch a few wins at home that will put us right back in the race.”

Strano has not made the Australian team for a few years now, but that does not mean she has not given up on that dream to return to the national set up.

“I’ve always had aspirations to play for my country and be around that setup, and I haven’t been probably close to selection for the last probably 18 months,” she said. “I’ve probably fallen off the radar a little bit, but all you can do is ply your trade at state level and hopefully the selectors can sort of view how you’re tracking and sort of approach you in that space.

“I’m just really passionate at the moment about playing good cricket for the Hurricanes to be honest. We’ve got a really exciting team and a team that can also play in the finals, so that’s what really motivates me at the moment.”