2018–19 Sydney Thunder WBBL season

The 2018–19 Sydney Thunder Women's season was the fourth in the team's history. Coached by Joanne Broadbent and captained by Alex Blackwell, the Thunder finished second in the regular season of WBBL|04 and qualified for the playoffs. In an "incredible"[1] semi-final, notable for a catch taken by Haidee Birkett on the last ball of the game to dismiss Nicola Carey, Sydney suffered a four-run defeat at the hands of the Brisbane Heat and were consequently eliminated from the tournament. It was thus the second-straight year in which they lost a knockout game to a lower-ranked opponent.

Sydney Thunder
2018–19 season
Sydney Thunder 2018–19 cap logo
Sydney Thunder 2018–19 cap logo
CoachJoanne Broadbent
Captain(s)Alex Blackwell
Home groundSpotless Stadium
LeagueWBBL
Record9–4 (2nd)
FinalsSemi-finalists
Leading Run ScorerRachael Haynes – 376
Leading Wicket TakerStafanie Taylor – 19
Player of the SeasonRachel Priest

Squad

Each 2018–19 squad featured 15 active players, with an allowance of up to five marquee signings including a maximum of three from overseas. Under a new rule, Australian marquees were classed as players who held a national women's team contract at the time of signing on for their WBBL|04 team.[2]

The Thunder made just one change to their squad from the previous season, adding Saskia Horley as their only new inclusion.[3] Indian marquee Harmanpreet Kaur returned for her third campaign with the Thunder, but she was unavailable to play the first match and the semi-final due to national team commitments.[4][5] In November 2019, the recurring issue of conflicting schedules with overseas players prompted newly appointed Cricket Australia board member Mel Jones to call for greater cooperation between nations to give the league a clearer window.[6]

The table below lists the Thunder players and their key stats (including runs scored, batting strike rate, wickets taken, economy rate, catches and stumpings) for the season.[7][8][9]

No. Name Nat. Birth date Batting style Bowling style G R SR W E C S Notes
Batters
2 Alex Blackwell Australia 31 August 1983 Right-handed Right-arm medium 15 301 122.35 2 Captain, Australian marquee
15 Rachael Haynes Australia 26 December 1986 Left-handed Left-arm medium 13 376 114.63 1 Australian marquee
45 Harmanpreet Kaur India 8 March 1989 Right-handed Right-arm off spin 13 310 126.53 3 8.66 7 Overseas marquee
10 Naomi Stalenberg Australia 18 April 1994 Right-handed Right-arm medium 15 244 91.04 5
All-rounders
5 Nicola Carey Australia 10 September 1993 Left-handed Right-arm medium 15 104 131.64 15 7.34 8
23 Saskia Horley Australia 23 February 2000 Right-handed Right-arm off spin
24 Stafanie Taylor Jamaica 11 June 1991 Right-handed Right-arm off spin 15 212 108.71 19 6.91 7 Overseas marquee
8 Rachel Trenaman Australia 18 April 2001 Right-handed Right-arm leg spin 5 12 133.33 3 6.22 0
Wicket-keeper
3 Rachel Priest New Zealand 13 July 1985 Right-handed 15 338 134.12 4 6 Overseas marquee
Bowlers
34 Samantha Bates Australia 7 August 1992 Right-handed Left-arm orthodox 15 9 6.31 3
25 Hannah Darlington Australia 25 January 2002 Right-handed Right-arm medium
88 Rene Farrell Australia 13 January 1987 Right-handed Right-arm medium 10 33 157.14 14 7.20 0
13 Maisy Gibson Australia 14 September 1996 Left-handed Right-arm leg spin 12 5 71.42 12 7.30 5
54 Lisa Griffith Australia 28 August 1992 Right-handed Right-arm medium fast 12 9 6.90 0
47 Belinda Vakarewa Australia 22 January 1998 Right-handed Right-arm medium fast 10 3 6.91 2

Ladder

Pos Team Pld W L NR Pts NRR
1 Sydney Sixers (RU) 14 10 4 0 20 0.509
2 Sydney Thunder 14 9 4 1 19 0.479
3 Brisbane Heat (C) 14 9 5 0 18 1.118
4 Melbourne Renegades 14 7 6 1 15 −0.079
5 Perth Scorchers 14 7 7 0 14 −0.476
6 Adelaide Strikers 14 5 8 1 11 −0.336
7 Melbourne Stars 14 5 8 1 11 −0.905
8 Hobart Hurricanes 14 2 12 0 4 −0.364
Source: [10]
  • The four top ranked teams qualified for the semi finals

Fixtures

All times are local time

Regular season


Match 4
2 December 2018
13:50
Scorecard
Melbourne Renegades
8/98 (20 overs)
v
Sydney Thunder
4/99 (16.5 overs)
Erica Kershaw 24 (27)
Rene Farrell 3/17 (4 overs)
Rachael Haynes 27 (25)
Tayla Vlaeminck 4/29 (3.5 overs)
Sydney Thunder won by 6 wickets (with 19 balls remaining)
CitiPower Centre, St Kilda
Umpires: Greg Azzopardi and David Shepard
Player of the match: Rene Farrell (Sydney Thunder)

Match 9
8 December 2018
19:10 (D/N)
Scorecard
Sydney Sixers
4/168 (20 overs)
v
Sydney Thunder
7/132 (20 overs)
Ellyse Perry 75* (66)
Stafanie Taylor 2/16 (3 overs)
Harmanpreet Kaur 45 (28)
Ellyse Perry 2/11 (3 overs)
Sydney Sixers won by 36 runs
North Sydney Oval No. 1
Umpires: Marc Nickl and Donovan Koch
Player of the match: Ellyse Perry (Sydney Sixers)

Match 12
9 December 2018
14:50
Scorecard
Sydney Thunder
4/192 (20 overs)
v
Brisbane Heat
164 (18.5 overs)
Harmanpreet Kaur 56 (26)
Sammy-Jo Johnson 2/30 (4 overs)
Grace Harris 54 (28)
Maisy Gibson 3/18 (3 overs)
Sydney Thunder won by 28 runs
North Sydney Oval No. 1
Umpires: David Shepard and Marc Nickl
Player of the match: Harmanpreet Kaur (Sydney Thunder)

Match 14
15 December 2018
14:20
Scorecard
Adelaide Strikers
132 (20 overs)
v
Sydney Thunder
4/134 (17.3 overs)
Suzie Bates 79* (60)
Rene Farrell 3/12 (4 overs)
Rachel Priest 58* (46)
Samantha Betts 1/18 (2 overs)
Sydney Thunder won by 6 wickets (with 15 balls remaining)
Blundstone Arena, Hobart
Umpires: Darren Close and Michael Graham-Smith
Player of the match: Suzie Bates (Adelaide Strikers)

Match 17
16 December 2018
10:10
Scorecard
Adelaide Strikers
5/145 (20 overs)
v
Sydney Thunder
5/146 (18.2 overs)
Bridget Patterson 36* (40)
Stafanie Taylor 2/33 (4 overs)
Stafanie Taylor 55 (42)
Danielle Hazell 1/20 (3 overs)
Sydney Thunder won by 5 wickets (with 10 balls remaining)
Blundstone Arena, Hobart
Umpires: Wade Stewart and Harvey Wolff
Player of the match: Stafanie Taylor (Sydney Thunder)
  • Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field

Match 22
21 December 2018
13:50
Scorecard
Hobart Hurricanes
9/153 (20 overs)
v
Sydney Thunder
4/156 (17.2 overs)
Erin Fazackerley 35 (21)
Stafanie Taylor 3/24 (4 overs)
Naomi Stalenberg 55 (39)
Heather Knight 2/25 (3 overs)
Sydney Thunder won by 6 wickets (with 16 balls remaining)
Manuka Oval, Canberra
Umpires: Darren Close and Andrew Crozier
Player of the match: Stafanie Taylor (Sydney Thunder)

Match 29
24 December
14:15
Scorecard
Hobart Hurricanes
135 (19.4 overs)
v
Sydney Thunder
4/136 (16.4 overs)
Smriti Mandhana 35 (22)
Rene Farrell 2/20 (3.4 overs)
Rachael Haynes 68* (48)
Brooke Hepburn 1/13 (3 overs)
Sydney Thunder won by 6 wickets (with 20 balls remaining)
Spotless Stadium, Sydney
Umpires: Ryan Nelson and Andrew Hamilton
Player of the match: Rachael Haynes (Sydney Thunder)
  • Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field

Match 33
29 December
10:00
Scorecard
Sydney Thunder
5/179 (20 overs)
v
Perth Scorchers
4/180 (19.5 overs)
Rachael Haynes 50 (40)
Piepa Cleary 2/28 (4 overs)
Meg Lanning 76 (40)
Nicola Carey 2/35 (4 overs)
Perth Scorchers won by 6 wickets (with 1 ball remaining)
Lilac Hill Park, Perth
Umpires: Ashlee Gibbons and James Hewitt
Player of the match: Meg Lanning (Perth Scorchers)
  • Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to field
  • Perth Scorchers set a new record for the highest successful run chase in a WBBL match[11]

The Thunder were catapulted to a score of 5/179 by a late 49-run partnership between Harmanpreet Kaur and Stafanie Taylor (which included 21 runs off the 18th over against the bowling of Taneale Peschel, who had taken 1/12 in her first three overs). Eight overs into the second innings, Meg Lanning had scored 71 of the Scorchers' 83 runs. Although Lanning was run out for 76 in the tenth over, Elyse Villani went on to score 66 not out, guiding the Scorchers to a six-wicket victory with one ball remaining. In doing so, the Scorchers set a new WBBL record for highest successful run chase.[12]


Match 35
30 December
10:00
Scorecard
Perth Scorchers
7/127 (20 overs)
v
Sydney Thunder
5/124 (20 overs)
Nicole Bolton 50 (41)
Lisa Griffith 2/17 (3 overs)
Alex Blackwell 37 (30)
Heather Graham 2/8 (3 overs)
Perth Scorchers won by 3 runs
Lilac Hill Park, Perth
Umpires: Trent Steenholdt and J Paterson
Player of the match: Nicole Bolton (Perth Scorchers)
  • Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field

Match 40
2 January
14:50
Scorecard
Sydney Sixers
7/98 (20 overs)
v
Sydney Thunder
2/101 (17.4 overs)
Marizanne Kapp 40 (41)
Rachel Trenaman 2/11 (4 overs)
Naomi Stalenberg 44 (50)
Marizanne Kapp 1/13 (4 overs)
Sydney Thunder won by 8 wickets (with 14 balls remaining)
Spotless Stadium, Sydney
Umpires: Ryan Nelson and Ben Treloar
Player of the match: Lisa Griffith (Sydney Thunder)

Match 42
5 January
14:00
Scorecard
Sydney Thunder
3/92 (9.2 overs)
v
Harmanpreet Kaur 21* (16)
Holly Ferling 2/25 (3 overs)
No result
Blacktown International Sportspark, Sydney
Umpires: T Penman and Marc Nickl
  • Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to bat
  • Match abandoned due to rain

Match 45
6 January
14:00
Scorecard
Sydney Thunder
6/122 (20 overs)
v
Melbourne Stars
9/117 (20 overs)
Nicola Carey 39* (32)
Annabel Sutherland 2/17 (4 overs)
Angela Reakes 33 (38)
Maisy Gibson 3/22 (4 overs)
Sydney Thunder won by 5 runs
Bankstown Oval, Sydney
Umpires: T Penman and Roberto Howard
Player of the match: Nicola Carey (Sydney Thunder)
  • Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to field

Match 47
8 January
13:50
Scorecard
Melbourne Renegades
4/139 (20 overs)
v
Sydney Thunder
4/141 (19.1 overs)
Danni Wyatt 59 (53)
Nicola Carey 2/25 (3 overs)
Alex Blackwell 66* (48)
Lea Tahuhu 1/23 (4 overs)
Sydney Thunder won by 6 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
Spotless Stadium, Sydney
Umpires: T Penman and Donovan Koch
Player of the match: Alex Blackwell (Sydney Thunder)

Match 53
12 January
18:15
Scorecard
Sydney Thunder
7/171 (20 overs)
v
Brisbane Heat
7/172 (19.3 overs)
Rachael Haynes 57 (51)
Delissa Kimmince 2/23 (4 overs)
Beth Mooney 102 (55)
Harmanpreet Kaur 2/23 (3 overs)
Brisbane Heat won by 3 wickets (with 3 balls remaining)
Cazaly's Stadium, Cairns
Attendance: 4,673[13]
Umpires: Donovan Koch and Stephen Dionysius
Player of the match: Beth Mooney (Brisbane Heat)
  • Brisbane Heat won the toss and elected to field

Responding to the Thunder's first innings total of 7/171, Heat opener Beth Mooney recorded her maiden WBBL century but was then dismissed in the 17th over. With Brisbane still requiring 19 runs off the last twelve balls, Harmanpreet Kaur—having already claimed two wickets, including the stumping of Mooney, for just ten runs—came on to bowl her third over. The Heat, primarily through Delissa Kimmince, scored 13 runs off the over to swing the momentum once more. Laura Harris then hit the winning runs against the bowling of Nicola Carey with three wickets in hand and three balls remaining, making it Brisbane's highest successful run chase. The result helped to set up a semi-final encounter between the two teams on the following weekend.[14][15][16]


Knockout stage


Semi-final 1
19 January
10:40
Scorecard
Brisbane Heat
7/140 (20 overs)
v
Sydney Thunder
7/136 (20 overs)
Sammy-Jo Johnson 33 (25)
Stafanie Taylor 1/13 (2 overs)
Rachel Priest 44 (33)
Jemma Barsby 3/23 (2 overs)
Brisbane Heat won by 4 runs
Drummoyne Oval, Sydney
Umpires: David Shepard and Darren Close
Player of the match: Sammy-Jo Johnson (Brisbane Heat)

The lower-ranked Heat posted a first innings total of 7/140, recovering from 5/78 after 12 overs through an unbeaten knock of 32 from 25 by Laura Harris. After struggling through the middle overs of the run chase, a late charge by the Thunder brought the hosts back into the contest to leave a required five runs off the final delivery for victory. The last ball, sent down by spinner Jess Jonassen, was struck flat and cleanly to deep square leg by batter Nicola Carey. Jonassen immediately signalled disappointment as the ball set sail for beyond the boundary rope, therefore scoring six runs and clinching the match for Sydney... However, Brisbane fielder Haidee Birkett made enough ground in time to take a "miracle"[1] catch just inside the field of play to knock the Thunder out of the tournament.[17] The match, in conjunction with the other semi-final played later in the day, was hailed as a showcase of "the irrefutable rise of women's cricket"[18] and "sport with drama, skill and unpredictability – a potent recipe for success".[19]


Statistics and awards

References

  1. "Incredible WBBL semi-finals leave Australia speechless after back-to-back final ball miracle finishes". NewsComAu. 19 January 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  2. "All the WBBL squads so far". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  3. "Teenager Horley Joins Sydney Thunder". Sydney Thunder. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  4. "Kaur set to miss opening round of WBBL04". Sydney Thunder. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  5. "We have the depth to cover Kaur: Haynes". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  6. "WBBL needs clear air for international flair: Jones". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  7. "WBBL|04: All you need to know guide". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  8. "Players | Sydney Thunder - BBL". www.sydneythunder.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  9. "Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 - Sydney Thunder Women Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  10. "Women's Big Bash League Table – 2018–19".
  11. "Lanning, Villani lead Perth to record win". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  12. "Scorchers Create History in Thrilling Win". Perth Scorchers. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  13. "Record Breaking WBBL Season". Brisbane Heat. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  14. "Thunder lose out in Cairns thriller". Sydney Thunder. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  15. "Mooney peaks at perfect time". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  16. "Mooney smashes ton as Heat beat Thunder". Brisbane Heat. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  17. "Nothing fake about Birkett's heroic catch". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  18. Maurice, Megan (20 January 2019). "Women's cricket the winner in WBBL semis". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  19. Lawson, Geoff (26 January 2019). "Given a Fairbreak, the WBBL has shown its true value". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  20. "Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  21. "Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  22. "Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  23. "Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  24. "Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  25. "Abbott and Perry win major Cricket NSW awards". Cricket NSW. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  26. "Our WBBL|04 team of the tournament". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 18 June 2020.

Notes

  1. Thunder Player of the Tournament
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