Jess Jonassen is one of the most skilful spin bowlers in world cricket, with a unique ability to bowl in the death overs. Fondly known as JJ by her fans, Jess joins Capitals Universe along with her Aussie skipper, Meg Lanning, under whom she has had a lot of success.
Born in Emerald in Queensland, Jess started playing cricket at the age of just 11 along with the boys, as there weren’t any girls' teams in her town. She later represented the University of Queensland when she shifted to Brisbane after her school. She made her debut for Queensland in the 2008-09 season at the age of 16.
She transformed her game with time and kept getting better with the bat and bowl, eventually turning into a reliable all-rounder for her team. Soon enough, the national team call-up arrived and off she went for another incredible journey. She made her debut for Australia in 2012 and in the same year, she helped them win the T20 World Cup, finishing with a three-for in the final.
In the following years, even though injuries plagued her, she kept coming back and performing well. Apart from the 2012 T20 World Cup, she was part of Australia’s T20 World Cup title-winning side in 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023 editions. She was also part of their Gold Medal finishes in the Commonwealth Games 2022 along with the ODI World Cup 2022.
At the domestic level, she was an integral part of the Brisbane Heat team which finished as champions in the Women’s Big Bash League in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. Now, she joins Delhi Capitals with hopes of adding to her trophy cabinet.