Jess Jonassen Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 5 ft 7 in |
Weight | 65 kg |
Date of Birth | November 5, 1992 |
Zodiac Sign | Scorpio |
Girlfriend | Sarah Wearn |
Jess Jonassen is an Australian professional cricketer who has represented her country in all 3 formats of the sport (Tests, ODIs, and T20Is), as a bowling all-rounder. She was a key part of the Australian squad that won the ICC (International Cricket Council) Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2022, the record-extending 7th time that Australia had achieved the feat. Jess was also an integral member of the Australian squads that clinched the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020, and 2023 – the record-extending 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th times, respectively, that Australia had achieved this feat. In the Australian domestic circuit, she has played for her home state of Queensland (2008-Present) across all formats. In franchise-based T20 cricket, Jess has turned out for the Brisbane Heat (2015-16-Present) in the WBBL (Women’s Big Bash League); Lancashire Thunder (2017) in the WCSL (Women’s Cricket Super League); and the Delhi Capitals (2023) in the WPL (Women’s Premier League).
Born Name
Jessica Louise Jonassen
Nick Name
Jess, JJ, Jono
Sun Sign
Scorpio
Born Place
Emerald, Central Highlands, Queensland, Australia
Residence
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Nationality
Education
Jess graduated in 2009 from Emmaus College, a co-educational Roman Catholic secondary day school, located in Rockhampton, Queensland. In 2015, she completed a law degree at Griffith University, a public research university in South East Queensland. She also undertook a graduate certificate in forensic mental health.
Occupation
Professional Cricketer
Family
- Father – Raymond Jonassen (Teacher) (d. February 2021)
- Mother – Jayne Jonassen
- Siblings – Laura Jonassen (Older Sister), Emma Jonassen (Older Sister)
Batting
Left-Handed
Bowling
Slow Left-Arm Orthodox
Role
Bowling All-Rounder
Jersey Number
- 21 – Test Match, One Day International (ODI), T20 International (T20I), Queensland (Australian Domestic Cricket), Brisbane Heat (WBBL)
- 39 – Delhi Capitals (WPL)
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 7 in or 170 cm
Weight
65 kg or 143.5 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Jess has dated –
- Sarah Wearn (2012-Present) – Jess began dating Sarah Wearn in July 2012 and the couple eventually got engaged in February 2018. They had planned to get married in May 2020 but postponed the wedding due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Race / Ethnicity
White
Hair Color
Light Brown
Eye Color
Blue
Sexual Orientation
Lesbian
Distinctive Features
- Toned physique
- Side-parted, neck-length, straight hair
- Affable smile
- Radiant face
Brand Endorsements
She has been sponsored by Gray-Nicolls, an English cricket equipment & clothing brand.
Jess Jonassen Facts
- Jess first came into the spotlight in October 2012 when she produced match-best bowling figures (3/25 in 4 overs) in the final of the 2012 edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to help Australia defeat arch-rivals England by a narrow margin of 4 runs and win the title for the 2nd time in a row.
- She was included in Australia’s squad for the 2013 edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup but her name had to be withdrawn days before the team traveled for the tournament. This was because Jess had failed to recover quickly enough from a knee surgery that she had undergone. Australia went on to win the tournament – for a record-extending 6th time.
- At the 2014 edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, she scalped 6 wickets in 6 matches as Australia won the title for the 3rd time in a row.
- In August 2015, on her test match debut for Australia, Jess scored 99 and 54 runs in the 2 innings of the match. Her score of 99 runs was the then 2nd highest (the 3rd highest, as of March 2023) by a female cricketer at the number 6 position in a test match. It was also just the 3rd instance of a female cricketer getting dismissed for 99 runs in a test inning. As of March 2023, this cruel fate had not befallen any other female cricketer.
- Australia went on to win this match by 161 runs and Jess was named the ‘Player of the Match’ for her performance. Her match aggregate of 153 runs was the then 3rd-highest (the 4th highest, as of March 2023) by a female cricketer on her test match debut.
- Jess was the 4th highest wicket-taker (18 wickets in 15 matches) in the 2016-17 season of the WBBL (Women’s Big Bash League), the 2nd edition of the tournament. Her performances (she was included in the ‘Team of the Tournament’) played a key role in helping the Brisbane Heat finish in the 3rd position of the league stage of the tournament – even though the team was knocked out in the semi-final.
- At the 2017 edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, Jess took 9 wickets in 7 matches as Australia reached the semi-final stage.
- At the 2018 edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, she was a non-playing member of the Australian squad that won the tournament for a record-extending 4th time.
- Jess was a key member of the Brisbane Heat squad that won its 1st WBBL title in the 2018-19 season, the 4th edition of the tournament. In the semi-final, she bowled the final delivery of the match that initially appeared to have been hit for a game-winning six but an unlikely catch was taken meters inside the boundary rope to give the Brisbane Heat a 4-run win.
- In the final of the 2019-20 season of the WBBL, the 5th edition of the tournament, she produced match-best bowling figures (2/30 in 4 overs) in a 6-wicket win that gave Brisbane Heat their 2nd WBBL title in a row. Jess finished as the 2nd-highest wicket-taker (22 wickets in 16 matches) overall and was included in the ‘Team of the Tournament’.
- She finished in 5th place in the voting for the ‘Player of the Tournament’ that season – votes were awarded on a 3-2-1 basis by the two standing umpires after every match. She also won 5 ‘Player of the Match’ awards during the season – only one behind Sophie Devine who was adjudged the ‘Player of the Tournament’. No player other than Jess and Sophie won more than 3 such awards during that season.
- With 10 wickets in 6 matches, she was the joint 2nd-highest wicket-taker at the 2020 edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. In the final of the tournament, Jess bamboozled India with a spell of 3/20 in 4 overs to lead Australia to a massive 85-run win, clinching Australia’s 2nd consecutive ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title and its record-extending 5th overall. She was also included in the ‘Team of the Tournament’.
- Jess was appointed the captain of the Brisbane Heat squad at the beginning of the 2020-21 season of the WBBL, the 6th edition of the tournament. She led the team to a 2nd-place finish in the league stage of the tournament but they were knocked out in the semi-final.
- During the following season (2021-22), she became the first player to make 100 appearances in the WBBL. She finished as the 2nd-highest wicket-taker (21 wickets in 14 matches) overall and was included in the ‘Team of the Tournament’.
- At the 2022 edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, in Australia’s 7th (and last) match of the league phase, against Bangladesh, Jess bowled an extremely frugal spell (2/13 in 9 overs) to help Australia win by 5 wickets and finish the league phase with a perfect 7-0 win-loss record. In the semi-final of the tournament, against the West Indies, she produced match-best bowling figures (2/14 in 5 overs) in a massive 157-run victory.
- In the final, her spell of 3/57 in 8.4 overs played a key role in limiting a spirited England side to 285 runs in a chase of a mammoth target of 356 runs. The 71-run win led Australia to the title for a record-extending 7th time. Jess finished the tournament as the 3rd-highest wicket-taker overall – with 13 wickets to her name in 8 innings.
- Jess was also a key member of the Australian squad that won the ‘Gold’ medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. It was the first occasion where women’s cricket was included in the Commonwealth Games and just the 2nd time that cricket was played at the Commonwealth Games – a men’s tournament had previously been featured at the 1998 edition held in Kuala Lumpur.
- In Australia’s opening group-stage match of the tournament, against India, her stellar spell of 4/22 in 4 overs helped Australia win a tense encounter by 3 wickets and 6 balls to spare. She finished the tournament as the joint 4th-highest wicket-taker overall (7 wickets in 5 innings).
- Jess captained the Brisbane Heat to a 3rd-place finish in the league phase of the WBBL for the 2nd time in a row at the 2022-23 edition (8th) of the tournament. She also finished as the 2nd-highest wicket-taker (25 wickets in 16 matches) overall and was included in the ‘Team of the Tournament’ – achieving both these feats for the 2nd time in a row as well.
- Unlike the previous season though, the Brisbane Heat managed to win the ‘Eliminator’ match (played between the teams that stood 3rd and 4th in the league to determine who plays the league’s 2nd-placed team in the preliminary final (termed the ‘Challenger’)) – Jess produced match-best bowling figures (4/23 in 4 overs) in a 44-run win. The Brisbane Heat then lost the ‘Challenger’ match to the Adelaide Strikers who consequently reached the final and eventually won the WBBL title for the 1st time ever.
- In February 2023, in the auction for the upcoming inaugural edition of the WPL (Women’s Premier League), Jess was acquired by the Delhi Capitals for INR 50 lakhs.
- Australia’s final match of the 2023 edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, against hosts South Africa, was the 100th WT20I match of Jess’s career. Australia won that match to clinch its 3rd consecutive (and 6th overall) ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title.
- In March 2023, in the Delhi Capitals‘ 2nd match of the league phase of the WPL, Jess produced match-best bowling figures (3/43 in 4 overs) and was named the ‘Player of the Match’ in a 42-run victory – the team’s 2nd in a row. In the team’s 5th match of the league stage, she won the ‘Player of the Match’ award once again – for her quickfire knock of 29 runs not out (15 balls) that helped her team win with just 2 balls to spare.
- It was the Delhi Capitals‘ 4th win in 5 matches. Jess finished the league phase of the tournament with 8 wickets and 77 runs to her name in 8 matches. The Delhi Capitals ended the league phase in 1st position which meant that the team qualified directly for the final of the tournament.
- Jess is a staunch supporter of the Western Bulldogs, a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the AFL (Australian Football League), the sport’s premier competition.
- She has 2 pet French bulldogs named Alfie and Freddie.
- Jess is also a keen guitarist, a coffee aficionado, and loves spotting ladybugs in nature.
Featured Image by Jess Jonassen / Instagram