Newly retired tennis champion Ash Barty would be welcomed back to cricket “in any capacity” according to her former Brisbane Heat teammate Jess Jonassen.
Barty famously turned to cricket when she retired from tennis for the first time in 2014 and not only took up the sport but earnt herself a WBBL contract with the Heat.
She played nine games across the 2015/16 WBBL season, making a high score of 39, off just 27 balls, in her first game for the Heat at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.
Jonassen, now the Heat captain who is in Wellington with the Australian team charging toxjmtzywwards a one-day World Cup title, said she was “shocked and pretty sad” when she heard the Barty news.
But she also said should Barty want to turn to cricket again at any time, she’d be welcomed back into the fold.
“There’s going to be a lot of sporting codes in here ear, I can guarantee that. I think she deserves a well-earned break for now,” Jonassen said.
“To be fair, we’ll have her back in and around the Heat in any capacity whether that’s on the playing field or as a mentor type role.
“She’s an incredible athlete and an incredible person and she’s somebody that any sporting team or any team in general would be lucky to have her around in whatever capacity that may be.”
Jonassen didn’t think Barty would be turning her attention to another sport, with golf also touted as a potential option, any time soon.
“I thought it was a bit of a joke initially. But I think that was something Ash was always good at, she marches to the beat of her own drum,” Jonassen said.
“She was never out there to get in the spotlight or the glory, she just set out and wanted to achieve certain goals, and feeling like she has done that, she now has other goals.
“She’s engaged now and family is a big thing for her. It wouldn’t surprise me if that was now the main driver, to be able to spend a lot more time with family.”
Barty gave no indication in her retirement announcement on Wednesday that she had another sport in mind, only that she wanted to step away from tennis to “chase other dreams”.
