Women’s Big Bash: News and results from WBBL07
Tahlia McGrath’s dominant form has continued leading the Strikers to a comprehensive victory despite cancelation fears as Tasmania heads into lockdown.
Women's Cricket
Don't miss out on the headlines from Women's Cricket. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Tahlia McGrath’s star continues to rise after she carried her stellar form into the WBBL, with the tournament continuing despite Tasmania’s sudden lockdown.
The Adelaide Strikers’ skipper starred with bat and ball to lead her side to a thumping 30-run victory over defending champions the Sydney Thunder, barely a week after her heroics for Australia in the multi-format series win against India.
Fans may have been locked out of Hobart’s Blundstone Arena, but the players taking part in
the WBBL are just relieved they were given the green light to take to the field.
Watch every game of the Weber WBBL Live & On-Demand on Kayo or catch up for FREE with minis on Kayo Freebies. Join Kayo Now >
It was an uncertain 24-hours heading into the first weekend of this season’s WBBL with the snap three-day lockdown in Tasmania forcing the players into yet another bubble.
But despite the COVID scare, the tournament will continue this weekend in front of empty stands and under strict biosecurity measures.
“We’ve just been playing it by ear, but we’re really happy to be here,” said Thunder bowler Lauren Smith.
Smith picked up the big wickets of set batters McGrath (42) and Madeline Penna (35) just as they began to open their shoulders at the back end of the innings.
The Strikers’ top three fell cheaply, with star South African duo Dane van Niekerk (11) and Laura Wolvaardt (0) failing to make an impact.
But they recovered to reach 7/140, leaving the defending champions with a tricky run chase under lights.
And it got trickier when Penna took a spectacular, diving catch at midwicket to dismiss Sammy-Jo Johnson (4), shortly before Indian opener Smriti Mandhana (4) was caught by Wolvaardt off the bowling of McGrath.
The Strikers’ skipper then found herself on a hat trick when her match-turning spell saw her claim Corinne Hall (38) and Anika Learoyd (23) with consecutive deliveries.
CATCH OF THE MATCH
The Adelaide Strikers capped off the win with a spectacular catch taken by Bridget Patterson on the boundary. Issy Wong’s shot looked set to clear the ropes, before Patterson perfectly positioned herself to pluck the ball out of the air. She also had the presence of mind to nonchalantly throw the ball back in before she stepped backwards over the rope.
DOOR OPEN FOR HAYNES
Thunder coach Trevor Griffin is still hopeful Rachael Haynes will feature at some stage of the tournament. The side’s regular skipper has prioritised her family after the birth of her first child in Sydney, but if the WBBL gets the go-ahead to move to NSW during the latter stages, Griffin says there’s a chance Haynes could return.
“We always knew she was going to be away for certainly the first part of the competition,” Griffin said.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to get back to Sydney at some point, then we’ll be able to have Rachael back with us.”
IMPORT’S FALTER
Dane van Niekerk’s lean run has continued after the South African opener was dismissed for just 11 runs at the top of Adelaide’s innings. Van Niekerk struggled to find her rhythm during South Africa’s recent series against the West Indies, where her highest score was 23. Her fellow South African, Laura Wolvaardt, was out for a duck soon after. Wolvaardt is one of the game’s most talented players, but has yet to find that next gear during her time in the WBBL.
The Thunder’s Indian opener, Smriti Mandhana, also failed to fire after such an impressive series against Australia.
Meet Aussie cricket’s new favourite McGrath
There was a time – not too long ago – when South Australian all-rounder Tahlia McGrath thought she’d never get the chance to wear the Aussie green and gold again.
The Baggy Green she wore in an Ashes Test in November 2017 was gathering dust in a cupboard, her international stats sheet conspicuously blank since that game.
A recurring back injury followed by a lack of conviction at the crease meant she struggled to put her case forward to national selectors.
McGrath made her international debut aged 20 in 2016 against South Africa, going on to play in the Women’s Ashes against England in 2017, playing four matches including the first day-night Women’s Test at North Sydney Oval.
Then ….it all seemed over.
But McGrath’s international career was far from done.
“The last five or so years have been a serious journey, lots of highs, lots of lows and I found myself in and out of the Aussie side,” the now 25-year-old said.
“I’d played six games in total over five years and for me, getting that initial taste back in 2017 really gave me that hunger that this is the level I want to be playing at, this is what I want to get back to.
“From there, it’s been putting in the hard work behind the scenes.”
In 2020, after a run in the English Kia Super League, a solid domestic showing and star all-rounder Ellyse Perry sidelined with a hamstring injury, McGrath earned her first Cricket Australia contract.
It was a happy surprise for the tall pace bowler and she went on to play one game in 2020 against New Zealand when captain Meg Lanning was out injured.
McGrath toured New Zealand at the beginning of 2021, but didn’t play any of the games against the Kiwis.
Then came the Australia-India series played entirely in Queensland over September and October, which pitted the two sides against each other in a seven-game multi-format series against India.
As the Aussies won the series 11-5, McGrath took a combined four wickets, but it was at the crease where she got into a happy groove.
She hit a combined 235 runs from five innings across seven matches, her highest score coming in the second one-day international, where she hit 74 off 77 balls, including nine fours.
She played all seven games, was named Player of the Match twice and then bestowed the coveted Player of the Series honour.
McGrath said fighting her way back into the team has come off not only hard work in the nets, but by implementing a simpler mindset and she worked extensively with her SA Scorpions’ mindset coach, and the Aussie’s sports psychologist, to do that.
“Cricket is the most mentally challenging game there is, and when things aren’t going well it’s very easy to over-complicate things,” McGrath said.
“For me, I’ve found that when I’m simplifying things, trying to have fun and just really backing my ability is when I’m playing my best cricket.
“That’s what’s worked for me and it’s taken me a little while to figure that out, but it’s coming together.
“The Aussie side is the best team in the world and it is such a hard team to break into that whenever you get the slightest opportunity you’ve got to grab it with both hands and take it,” McGrath said.
“So for me, I’ve been a bit lucky in that I got that one game in against NZ with Lanning injured and with this series, we had some key bowlers out, so I was given an opportunity and to have been able to string some games together for Australia was super special to me, because I’m more used to playing a game here or there.
“To play seven in a row was incredible and something that leading into the tour, I didn’t think I’d get that many games.”
Now, she heads into the Women’s Big Bash League season as one of the must-watch players of the competition, suiting up for her seventh season with Adelaide Strikers.
And in a further honour, she’s been named the side’s captain, after Kiwi International Suzie Bates pulled out citing concerns with overseas travel, and pace bowler Megan Schutt unavailable for the opening rounds as she cares for her newborn baby at home in Adelaide.
McGrath said she’d played alongside a number of special Strikers captains including Lauren Ebsary and Bates, whose insights she would use going forward.
“While I have the title of captain, I have so much support in the team that I can use, plus (assistant coach) Charlotte Edwards on the sideline; I will be picking her brains a fair bit and just learning as much as I can about leadership,” she said.
Healy blasts off, but should Villani be in Aussie squad?
Elyse Villani has issued another reminder to the Australian selectors after her power-hitting display ignited the WBBL opening match in Hobart.
The 32-year-old Melbourne Stars batter continued her excellent recent form by clattering her way to an unbeaten 54 off just 31 balls against the Sydney Sixers.
Last season she was one of the leading run-scorers in the competition, yet she hasn’t played for Australia in over 18 months.
Her superb knock wasn’t quite enough on the night though, as Alyssa Healy rocketed a half-century of her own to help chase down the win for the Sixers.
WBBL TOP 10 PLAYERS SEASON SEVEN PREVIEW & FIXTURE
But it was Villani’s baseball-style of attack at the back end of the innings that saw her reap maximum rewards at the expense of Sixers captain Ellyse Perry.
Perry went for 18 runs in a costly penultimate over, with Villani explaining how she’s worked on her batting since moving to Tasmania to play domestically.
“We’ve actually been doing a bit of power-hitting in Tassie,” Villani said.
“I’ve obviously made the switch this year and Dan Marsh has taken us under his wing as a new project.
“He felt we didn’t spend enough time as female players working on our power hitting and I totally agree with him.
“It’s been awesome just to experiment, but I didn’t think I’d get to try it first game.”
The match was reduced to 11 overs a side after a significant rain delay and Villani steered the Stars to 1/99.
But Healy bounced back to form with a brilliant 57 runs off just 27 balls as Nicole Bolton (7) and Angela Reakes (3) guided the Sixers to a nervy win by six wickets with four balls remaining.
Healy had totalled just 69 runs in her last eight T20 innings heading into the opening match and had an underwhelming series overall with the bat against India.
But the 31-year-old was back to her best in her swashbuckling knock.
After the match, Healy joked that her form had come “four weeks too late”, acknowledging some of the commentary around her batting against India in the multi-format series.
“I was just looking forward to coming into the Big Bash and playing with freedom and hopefully playing some good cricket,” Healy said.
“It’s nice to get back out here. I love playing in the WBBL, especially for the Sixers, so it was nice to get out and get a relatively clean game in.”
Instead of opening the batting with Sixers captain Ellyse Perry, Healy has a new partner in Indian power-hitter Shafali Verma.
The talented teenager managed just eight runs in her first WBBL match, but Healy is expecting fireworks from her during the competition.
“I won’t lie, I think someone bowled one real full to her and I actually flinched at the nonstriker’s end she swung so hard at it,” Healy said.
“It’s good fun – nice to be able to play with that freedom. She’ll come good for us, I’m looking forward to seeing it.”
Verma is one of eight Indian players in the WBBL this season and one of her teammates, Radha Yadav, is also in the magenta.
Yadav was one of the Sixers’ most economical bowlers on the night, conceding 15 runs in her two overs.
Unfortunately, more rain is forecast around Tasmania over the opening weekend of the WBBL.
‘TREACHEROUS’ CONDITIONS
The outfield of Blundstone Arena was heavily compromised after rain delayed the start of the WBBL and it led to players losing their footing on too many occasions.
“It’s the wettest ice skating rink I’ve ever played on,” Sixers veteran Alyssa Healy said.
“It’s not nice playing conditions. There’s a few dodgy hammies out here, I don’t think it’s nice for them either. It’s treacherous.”
Unfortunately, more rain is predicted for the opening weekend.
INDIAN IMPACT
Indian teenager Shafali Verma was expected to make an immediate impact with the bat, but instead it was her fielding that stole the show for the Sixers.
The 18-year-old ran out Annabel Sutherland with a superb direct hit from side-on to orchestrate a much-needed breakthrough. Verma is one of eight Indian players in the WBBL this season – the largest contingent of foreign players in the tournament.
More Coverage
Originally published as Women’s Big Bash: News and results from WBBL07
Aussies start World Cup campaign with gritty win
Australia has secured a six-wicket victory in its T20 World Cup opener against Sri Lanka despite an early wobble in the run chase.
How the ‘spin sisters’ can help Australia win the T20 World Cup
All eyes will be on the pace duo of Tayla Vlaeminck and Darcie Brown, who have been named in the same World Cup squad for the first time, but it’s Australia’s spinners who are set to be the envy of the competition.