5 things to know about Tara Norris, who bagged the first-ever five-wicket haul in WPL 2023
The inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League has already seen its fair share of drama, controversy, and some exceptional strokeplay from the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, Meg Lanning, and Laura Harris.
The aforementioned names have already made a name for themselves on the international circuit and came into the tournament as crowd favorites. However, not much was known about Tara Norris from the USA, who became the first bowler to bag a fifer in the WPL.
Riding on the back of exceptional knocks from Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning, the Delhi Capitals posted a mammoth 223 in their allotted 20 overs in the second match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
RCB got off to an electrifying start before Norris turned the match on its head with four quick wickets, which included the dangerous Ellyse Perry, who was going great guns.
A left-arm seamer, Norris made the ball move both ways and kept pitching the ball in the right areas, luring the batters into false shots. In nine balls, Norris took the wickets of Perry, Disha Kashat, Richa Ghosh, and Kanika Ahuja to totally turn the tide in favor of DC.
Her 5th wicket was a long time coming, but she eventually managed to reach the landmark on the penultimate delivery of her spell as Heather Knight was holed out, hitting one straight to the extra cover fielder.
Norris’ inclusion wasn’t a straightforward choice. WPL playing conditions allow a team to play a fifth overseas player if one of them is a representative of the associate nation, and thus it opened up the gates for Norris to play in her first WPL match. She eventually finished with figures of 5/29 in her four overs.
On that note, let's take a look at five things you need to know about the new sensation from the USA.
#1 Cricket wasn’t part of Norris’ early life
Growing up in Spain and the USA, Norris had never heard of cricket, let alone played it. It wasn't until "Chance to Shine", a UK-based charity dedicated to spreading cricket into state schools and communities, came to their primary school that she took up cricket.
She told the Wisen Cricket Weekly Podcast back in 2021:
“I grew up in Spain and the US, so I’d never heard of cricket."
She added:
“It wasn’t until Chance to Shine came into my primary school at about eight or nine years old. They came in for some P.E. lessons which I really enjoyed. They suggested I join the after-school club which I did, and in the end they pushed me through to my local club where there was a girls’ team and it just went on from there."
#2 Norris attended Loughborough University, a breeding ground for several English cricketers
Having attended Loughborough University, which has seen several English cricketers rise through the ranks, Norris played regular cricket and was part of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) program.
After graduating, she was part of an expanded group of professional cricketers in England and Wales.
She said:
“It’s just that stepping stone. The volume that we’ve had all winter has just been incredible. I’ve never trained so much, I’ve never had so many games. This summer is the most cricket I think I’ve ever played, so it’s been brilliant, and the exposure has been brilliant too.”
# 3 A regular feature in the English domestic season
Norris, who has already made a name for herself with a dream spell in her debut WPL game, has been part of the English domestic cricket scene since passing out from Loughborough University.
Playing her trade for the Southern Vipers dynasty. Norris finished as the leading wicket-taker in 2022, while finishing 2nd and 3rd on the charts in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
The Southampton-based side won the first two editions, while Norris also played a pivotal role with the ball in the 2021 final.
Norris also finished as the leading wicket-taker in the inaugural edition of the Charlotte Edwards Cup in 2021, where they lost in the semi-final. She was also part of the triumphant campaign in 2022.
#4 Norris played for the Southern Brave in the Hundred
The left-arm seamer played for the Southern Brave in the 2021 edition of the Hundred, as they made it to the final only to lose out against the Oval Invincibles.
She had to warm the benches for the 2022 season with the side stacked with international starts. The Hundred definitely paved the way for her selection in the USA national team.
She said:
“That happened because of The Hundred actually, and that exposure for players that I wouldn’t have got previously."
Norris added:
“They [USA coach Julia Price] just saw on my personal player’s page that I was born in the US – it was just a fun fact, really – and the head coach got in touch, and in the space of about 10 days they said: ‘Look, if you can get your passport renewed, we want you to come out and play for us in these competitions’. So I went to the US embassy a week later and got it all signed off."
#5 International cricket for USA with hopes of representing England in the future
After Norris was contacted by the USA coach, she was fast tracked into the team and went onto play six games for the USA at the 2021 Women’s T20 World Cup Regional Qualifiers Americas. She was instrumental in ensuring that her country finished at the top of the charts.
The USA lost against Canada, the only match that Norris wasn’t part of. She bagged four wickets in the competition at an incredible economy rate of 1.72.
Due to her unavailability for the 2022 Women’s T20 World Cup qualifier, the USA was thrashed in all three games as Ireland and Bangladesh qualified for the 2023 T20 World Cup.
Speaking to Wisden in 2021, Norris expressed her desire to play for England. She is qualified to represent England without a "cooling off period," and with her success in her very first game of the WPL, she might just get a step closer to realizing her dream.