Billy Stanlake, Yorkshire’s new overseas signing for this summer’s Vitality Blast, could be one of the “all-time great fast bowlers” according to former Australia Test captain Ricky Ponting.
Stanlake, 23, will arrive at Emerald Headingley in July for his first taste of county cricket.
He has just won the Big Bash with the Adelaide Strikers and was part of Australia’s team which won the Twenty20 tri-series involving New Zealand and England last month.
Read more on Ricky Ponting’s high praise for Big Bad Billy Stanlake HERE: https://t.co/A0W0pdWWjY pic.twitter.com/VTuwjIosZf
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) February 27, 2018
Ponting was the assistant coach for that series, in which Stanlake took eight wickets from five matches.
“I just love the look of what he’s got,” said Ponting.
“He’s almost seven feet tall, bowls close to 150 kilometres an hour, he can swing the new ball. He’s got a little nasty streak in him as well – he likes bowling bouncers.
“When we see him get a bit more of a tank and grow into his body a bit more and put on a little bit of weight, I think he’s someone that could be one of the all-time great fast bowlers.
“That’s all there ahead of him, we just hope he stays in one piece and becomes the kind of cricketer we all think he can be.”
Ponting was talking to Cricket Australia’s website, www.cricket.com.au, on Tuesday, around the time it was announced that Stanlake had signed a new three-year contract with the Strikers.
He will remain with Jason Gillespie’s champions until the end of BBL10 in 2020/2021.
Stanlake claimed eleven wickets from his 10 appearances in this season’s Big Bash. He also recorded an impressive economy rate of 6.47.
The Queenslander was one of a host of re-signings by the Strikers, with Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan committing to another two years with the South Australian franchise.
