WBBL 2022: Superstars who can have biggest say in title race
The charge to the WBBL title is heating up and a host of stars will be pivotal to their team’s hopes.
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The countdown to the WBBL finals is on and the fortunes of those fighting for glory rest on the bat of a select few superstars who could make or break their team’s title hopes.
Last season’s grand finalists the Perth Scorchers and Adelaide Strikers find themselves in a dogfight for a top-four berth, after a brilliant weekend from the Hobart Hurricanes catapulted them into finals calculations.
The Sydney Sixers appear set to clinch the minor premiership and with it direct entry into the grand final on November 26, while the Brisbane Heat crossed the established 15-point finals threshold with their win over the Strikers on Monday night.
Former Australian cricketer and Fox Cricket expert Mel Jones says the Scorchers’ lack of depth has been exposed in the run home and the reigning premiers will have to get more out of star all-rounder Sophie Devine if they are to mount any kind oftitle defence.
Beth Mooney has surged back into scoring form with a 75 not-out against the Sixers and 90 off 58 in a thrashing of the Renegades at the weekend to take hold of the WBBL Golden Cap. Devine however managed just six runs on both occasions.
“(Prior to the weekend) Mooney had only had one really good score (and) Sophie Devine hasn’t hit her straps yet, they’re sortof scrambling a little bit,” Jones told News Corp.
“It’s exposed their lack of depth a little bit and that got highlighted against the Heat as well, with both of them losing their wicket fairly early.”
Mooney and Devine are just two names who will be closely linked to their side’s finals chances as the regular season winds down.
Here are the four players from the challengers to the Scorchers’ crown who could have the biggest say over the next week.
GEORGIA REDMAYNE (HEAT)
The Heat’s minor premiership hopes took a hit in the six-wicket loss to the Hurricanes on Saturday but the more pressing concern is the fitness of wicketkeeper Redmayne.
She was forced to retire on 28 with a hamstring injury in the Heat’s win over the Scorchers on November 9 and sat out the Hurricanes clash, with her immediate availability still not known. The premiere batter in the WBBL this season before her injury, Redmayne averages more than 40, with a strike rate of 111.74, and her presence at the top of the order will be a must if the Heat are to make waves in the finals.
ALYSSA HEALY (SIXERS)
Healy answered Mooney’s 75 not out with a fabulous unbeaten 107 as the Sixers snared a dramatic final-ball win over the Scorchers.
She showed all her class, blasting 12 fours and four sixes in a pivotal run-chase that put the Sixers on the cusp of the minor premiership and made life difficult for the Scorchers.
Clutch runs in key moments are the hallmark of champion players and the Sixers have one of the best in Healy, who sits third in the Golden Cap race behind Mooney and Redmayne.
TAHLIA MCGRATH (STRIKERS)
The Strikers’ skipper is back from injury and at the perfect time, with last season’s runners-up suddenly in a battle for a finals spot with their grand final conquerors, the Perth Scorchers.
McGrath is one of the premiere all-rounders in world cricket – not just the WBBL – and her presence makes the Strikers much more potent with both bat and ball.
Averaging just under 16 with the bat so far, it’s a far cry from the 42.25 average she set last season – but her performances for Australia at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year prove she has the temperament to turn the dial on the big stage.
ELYSE VILLANI (HURRICANES)
The Hurricanes are hitting their stride at the right time and so, too, is Villani. The Aussie international blasted a season-best 47 in a win over the Strikers before a measured 26 not out to steer her side home against the Heat, catapulting the Hurricanes into the finals conversation.
Villani played in the WBBL 06 grand final for the Stars against the Thunder, so she knows what to expect when the whips are cracking.
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