Molly Strano departs Tasmania and is set to return to Victoria
Molly Strano is leaving Tasmania after four seasons. The off-spinner, key in three WNCL titles, reflects on her Tigers tenure, future with the Hurricanes and what’s next.
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Cricket Tasmania will farewell one of their premiership superstars after four seasons.
Molly Strano, 32, will hang up the Tasmanian green to head back to her home state of Victoria after winning three flags in a row.
Strano said it was a tough decision to make.
“I am heading back home to Melbourne, I had an amazing four years down here with some on field success and made some lifelong memories and friends,” Strano said.
“It has been quite life changing moving down here, a really difficult decision but moving back home to be closer with my family and partner who all live in Melbourne.
“I will miss playing for the Tigers, it has been an honour to pull on the green and play for this proud cricketing state but also looking forward to getting home as well.”
Originally from Sunshine in Victoria, Strano found her love for cricket at a young age.
After representing Victoria for nine seasons, the off-spinner made the move from the mainland helping deliver success in her very first season.
“When I was in Victoria, there was probably six or seven Australian contracted players on the list, so I found myself down the pecking order a bit,” Strano said.
“So Sall (Beams) and Dan Marsh came to me in my late 20s and said do I want to have an opportunity to open the bowling down here and bat a little bit higher up in the order.
“That was a tough decision at the time to make the jump and move down south but in retrospect it was the best decision I have ever made.
“The first one was a lot of pressure in the sense that we never won one before, so to get that monkey off the back was huge.
“So the second one, I still don’t even know how we won that match and then the three-peat was pretty special too.
“I guess you are the hunted after you’ve won it two years in a row, so to be able to stay at the top of the table to go threw in a row which is pretty special to be able to do that.”
Despite moving back home, Strano will still be playing for the Hobart Hurricanes next season.
If she has it her way, Strano will likely finish her career in Hurricanes colours.
“I still have another year to run on my contract, still be able to pull on the purple and play at Ninja Stadium which I will be really excited for,” she said.
“I actually look at Ben McDermott who is in a similar position to me, from a state perspective being able to move home to be close to his family but then having the opportunity to be able to have the touch point with the organisation and still be able to play for a Cricket Tasmania team.
“Ideally I would love to finish my Big Bash career in purple, that is up to Sall.
“I am really excited to stay in the purple and it’s almost like I have the best of both worlds in a sense where I will base myself in Melbourne and be close to my partner but during that two-month period I will be able to catch up and spend time with people I love and adore here.
“Not only do we have the Big Bash but we have the Spring Bash which is another 15 games I will be able to play for a Cricket Tasmania team as well which makes me really excited.”
After watching the men’s Hobart Hurricanes win the BBL final and having success in the state competition, Strano is determined to bring home silverware for the women’s Hurricanes side.
“Watching the boys win it last year and how much the community embraced them, I think the girls are really hungry for that as well,” Strano said.
“We’ve had a taste of the Tigers environment of what that success feels like, so we are super hungry to get our hands on a purple trophy.
“The way our squad is shaping up and the slow improvements that we have made over four years I have been here has us in a place to contest for some silverware which is really exciting.”
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