Date of birth: 3 April 2002 (Birmingham, West Midlands)
The Blaze debut: 22 April 2023 (Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy v Central Sparks)
Providing a key point of difference as a left-arm bowler, Birmingham-born seamer Ballinger has played her cricket in the East Midlands ever since becoming part of the first-ever Lightning squad in 2020.
She began her career with her home county of Warwickshire, before joining Lightning, concurrently with starting a degree at Loughborough University, when women’s domestic cricket was reorganised into the regional structure in 2020.
During her time with Lightning at the regional elite level, Ballinger also spent two years with Leicestershire, for whom she was both the leading wicket-taker and run-scorer in the 2022 Women’s T20 Cup.
Her rapid ascent that year continued when she took her maiden List A five-wicket haul for Lightning with a return of 5/29 against Thunder in July, and just six weeks later, she made her debut in The Hundred after being called into London Spirit’s squad.
Ballinger remained with Lightning following the conclusion of the 2022 season when they moved their base to Trent Bridge and became known as The Blaze, and she has also made further appearances in The Hundred with Northern Superchargers.
In The Blaze’s victorious Charlotte Edwards Cup campaign in 2024, she claimed 11 wickets at 24.63 apiece, including a vital 2/34 in the semi-final against Central Sparks.