Canes call on Green as injury woes worsen on eve of WBBL|12

Hobart Hurricanes have been dealt a further blow on the eve of their Weber WBBL title defence, with England spinner Linsey Smith to miss the start of the season through injury.

The left-arm spinner suffered a quad injury at training this week and has been replaced by New Zealand batter Maddy Green in the Hurricanes' squad for Thursday's season opener against the Melbourne Stars.

Smith will undergo scans to determine the extent of the injury, with the club hopeful she will be available later in the tournament.

Green, a versatile batter has previously played for the Brisbane Heat and Perth Scorchers, was in promising form during the recent T20I series against Australia, scoring an unbeaten 56 form 37 balls in the opening game of the series at North Sydney Oval. 

Local pace bowler Callie Wilson has also been ruled out through injury and has been replaced in the Hobart squad by 17-year-old Victorian-contracted quick Ira Aery. 

Aery, who has represented Australia's Under-19s, played all four matches for the Hurricanes during the T20 Spring Challenge, taking two wickets.

Smith's setback means Hobart will go into the season without any of the three imports who helped them claim their first title in WBBL|11.

England captain Natalie Sciver-Brunt had informed the club prior to the lifting of the contract embargo that she would sit out this season to prioritise time at home, and compatriot Danni Wyatt-Hodge was a late withdrawal earlier this week due to a calf injury, replaced in the squad by Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu. 

The Hurricanes will also go into the season with a new skipper following Elyse Villani's retirement, with Nicola Carey taking the reins, and in more promising news, opener Lizelle Lee has been named to play the Stars on Thursday night after missing the Spring Challenge. 

"It's certainly not the preparation we would have hoped for on the injury front, but we're fortunate to be able to bring in two quality players who offer different strengths to our squad," Hurricanes head of high operformance Salliann Beams said.

"Maddy brings a wealth of international experience and is a really versatile cricketer who we know will fit well into our group.

"Ira is an exciting young fast bowler who has achieved a lot in a relatively short period of time, and we're delighted to welcome her into our WBBL squad.

"We had the opportunity to work with her during the Spring Challenge, so she already has an understanding of our environment and what we're trying to build here.

"While it's disappointing to lose players through injury, it creates opportunities for others and we're confident in the depth we've assembled."

Hurricanes squad to play the Stars: Nicola Carey (c), Ira Aery, Chamari Athapaththu, Ella Hayward, Heather Graham, Maddy Green, Chinelle Henry, Ruth Johnston, Lizelle Lee, Kate Pelle, Lauren Smith, Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman