Top 5 players of Women's Big Bash League

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Do you think the lady cricketers can handle the pressures and adrenaline rushes of a T20 game? For some, the very idea of women playing a T20 cricket match is oblivious. The soft nature and structure of woman can come in the way of the most aggressive form of cricket, feel a few. However when it comes to Cricket Australia (CA), they will always pull a rabbit out of hat, be it on-the field or off-the field. Having seen the grand success of the Big Bash League (BBL), the former flamboyant Australian batswoman Belinda Clark, who is known for scoring the first ever double century in one day cricket (both men and women inclusive) revealed in early 2014 that CA was planning a Big Bash League for women. And yes, there it was. The first ever Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) was played towards the end of 2015. It was not just played, but also aired on television, which gave a big boost to women’s cricket in general. Just like the men’s BBL, the WBBL also had eight teams with the same names; Sydney Thunder, Perth Scorchers, Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers, Melbourne Stars, Brisbane Heat, Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Renegades.

Female cricketers all around the world descended Down Under to play the inaugural WBBL. We had the likes of Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor (England), Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin (West Indies), Suzie Bates and Rachel Priest (New Zealand) and many more foreign players playing in the WBBL this year. Not only the current players, but also the retired players like Shelley Nitschke, Lisa Sthalekar and Charlotte Anneveld, all from Australia, were tempted to play the T20 cricket big bash. It was a long tournament that was played from 5^th December 2015 to 24^th January 2016. Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder locked horns against each other in the final, with the latter holding on to their nerves in the nail biting contest and winning the inaugural WBBL by three wickets. The tournament threw some stand out performances. In this article we will see top five performers of this year’s WBBL.

Meg Lanning

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Call her a run-machine or a batting delight, you just cannot take your eyes off Meg Lanning. Leading Melbourne Stars from the front, Meg Lanning was at the top of the batting table, when she finished off the tournament with a mammoth sum of 560 runs. She faced 492 balls, scored at an envious strike rate of 113.8 and had an average of 56, her highest score being 90. She hit nine sixes throughout the tournament, just one shy of the Kiwis Sara McGlashan and Sophie Devine. Though her team could not make it to the finals, Meg Lanning was deservingly named as the WBBL Player of the Tournament.

Charlotte Edwards

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Where there are runs, there is Charlotte Edwards. This is not an overstatement; it’s the truth. The leading run scorer in women’s cricket and the skipper of England women’s cricket team, Charlotte Edwards donned the Perth Scorchers colours in WBBL. She was the second highest run getter in the tournament, behind Melbourne Stars skipper Meg Lanning. Having scored 462 runs off 446 balls, at a decent average of 42, Edwards was a treat to watch. Her best score came against Sydney Thunder, though in a losing cause, when she was unbeaten on 88 off just 61 balls. She scored four half centuries in 15 innings and had a strike rate of 103.58.

Elyse Perry

Be it Soccer or Cricket, she is truly a superwoman. This Australian has represented her country at the highest level not just in one but two sports. Playing for Sydney Sixers, Perry was one of the best all-rounders in the tournament. She amassed 430 runs in 16 innings, with an average of 33.07. She remained not out on 67 in one of the matches, which was her best score. She is one of the few players who can offer batting as well bowling services to the team. She picked up eight wickets in the tournament at an economy rate of close to six and half runs per over. She bowled 51.3 overs and her best bowling figures were 2-11.

Rene Farrell

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If Sydney Thunder could make it to the finals of the inaugural WBBL, it was all thanks to this lady from Australia. Rene Farrell was at her very best, making the life of the batters difficult in the tournament. Grabbing 26 wickets at an average of 12.96, she was truly an asset for her team. She was quick, she was accurate and she was hitting the right areas all the time. She bowled 61.1 overs at an economical rate of 5.5 runs an over. Her best bowling figures of 4-18 came against Melbourne Stars.   

Veronica Pyke

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Age is no barrier when it comes to T20 cricket. This was proved by the woman from Tasmania; Veronica Pyke who played for Hobart Hurricanes. She was the second highest wicket taker behind her Australian counterpart Farrell. The 34-year old picked up 22 wickets in 15 innings at an average of 13.09. She had an economy rate of 5.53 and her best spell came against Sydney Sixers when she accounted for 3-22. She was undoubtedly the best bowler for Hobart Hurricanes, and would have loved to see her team in the finals.

The WBBL was a big revolution in itself. Women’s cricket has a long way to go and this is just the beginning.