Burns, who is regarded as one of the strongest all-rounders in the women’s game, joins the Sixers after two years at the Hobart Hurricanes.
Coming off the back of the signing of Lauren Cheatle, Burns addition to the squad only adds further strength and depth to the list with the reigning WBBL Champions hoping to be the first team go back to back.
It also marks a homecoming for the New South Welshman, who returns to play in her home state after eight years playing for Tasmania.
“The opportunity I got from Ben (Sawyer) and the Sixers team to come and join up here made sense from a locality point of view,” said Burns
“But obviously after playing against the girls for the last couple of years and just seeing how much of a tight squad they are and how incredible they go about their cricket it was pretty much a no-brainer to see if I could come across here this season.”
Having had a ring side seat for the launch and growth of the WBBL and evolution of women’s cricket from her earlier playing days, Burns said it was an exciting time to be involved with the sport.
“Seeing little girls taking on cricket and wanting to be like Ellyse Perry or Meg Lanning, it’s really, really amazing to see the growth and the wide spread support its had around the country,” she said.
Head Coach Ben Sawyer said Burns was a strong addition to a roster boasting some of the best cricketers in the country.
“We are extremely excited to sign Erin for the upcoming WBBL,” said Sawyer.
“Erin has consistently been one of the top performing local players in the competition. Her hard hitting at the top of the order combined with her off spin bowling and outstanding athleticism in the field makes her an extremely valuable player.
“I am confident that in our environment, Erin can take her game to an even higher level and potentially push for international selection at some stage in the future.”
Sixers General Manager Dom Remond was full of praise for the Wollongong local.
“We are very excited to add Erin to our roster for WBBL|03,” he said.
“Erin was one of the best local players last year, a damaging batter, very handy slow bowler and a gun in the field. It is great to have her return home to Sydney and will certainly strengthen our Club as we strive for back to back titles.”
The Sixers start their title defence on Saturday 9 December at North Sydney Oval against the Melbourne Stars.