BBL: Melbourne Renegades rope in Jon Wells on two-year deal

Melbourne [Australia], August 17 (ANI): Melbourne Renegades have signed batter Jon Wells on a two-year deal ahead of the Big Bash League, the club officially announced on Wednesday.
Wells sits fourth on the Big Bash’s all-time run scorers list – behind only Chris Lynn, Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell – with more than 2,500 career runs at an average of just under 35.
After five seasons with Adelaide, Wells is excited to be starting a new chapter in red alongside some familiar faces.
“It’s something I’m really looking forward to and I’m very excited to officially be a Renegade,” Melbourne Renegades quoted Wells as saying.
“I think it’s a great list that’s coming together. From my side, it’s really exciting and a great challenge to come across and try to build some success. There’s a good mix of experience and some really good youth coming through, so hopefully, we can get on the board early and take that momentum forward,” he added.
“‘Sos’ is one I’ve played with previously and someone I’m looking forward to reuniting with and playing alongside again. There are a few guys I’ve played a fair bit of cricket against over the years – it will be nice to be on the same team as guys like Finchy, Maddo and Richo, to name a few,” Wells said.
“Playing in the Melbourne Derby is something I’m really looking forward to. To get a massive crowd there, it always makes it better and it’s always exciting when the fans are out and making some noise,” he said.
Wells was the second-highest run-scorer in BBL|11 with 501 runs – including four half-centuries.
The 34-year-old joins fast bowler Tom Rogers as new additions to the Renegades’ playing list for BBL|12.
“We’re delighted to have Jon commit to our club for the next two seasons. His record in the Big Bash over an extended period speaks for itself and he’s coming off an outstanding BBL|11 season,” Melbourne Renegades General Manager, James Rosengarten, said.
“We identified a need for a player with Jon’s skill-set to bolster our middle order. He’s a smart cricketer with a proven ability to adapt his game to whatever the team requires when he’s out in the middle,” he added.
“This off-season, we’ve been really targeted with our list management approach. We see both Jon and Tom Rogers playing important roles for us, and look forward to adding more talent through the overseas draft and our remaining local signings ahead of BBL|12,” Rosengarten added.
The Renegades will play five home matches in Melbourne and two home matches in Geelong this season, with their first home game against the Sydney Thunder on December 18 at Marvel Stadium.
Melbourne Renegades squad: Nic Maddinson (capt), Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Mackenzie Harvey, Shaun Marsh, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers and Jon Wells. (ANI)