Date of birth: 3rd April 2002 (Birmingham, West Midlands)

The Blaze List A debut: 22 April 2023 (Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy v Central Sparks, Trent Bridge)

The Blaze T20 debut: 20 May 2023 (Charlotte Edwards Cup v South East Stars, Beckenham)

Batting: Left-handed

Bowling: Left-arm medium-fast

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 went on to be the side’s joint-highest wicket-taker in the Metro Bank One Day Cup in 2025, taking 18 scalps at 29.66 apiece.

She was also crowned as a winner of The Hundred in the same year with Northern Superchargers, claiming 11 wickets at a miserly average of just 15.54 as the Headingley-based side, whom she joined in 2023, lifted their first trophy in the competition.