This article was first written for and published by the Roar.
It was just another ordinary day for Sydney teenager Maddie Penna.
But the 19-year-old from Bankstown was at university on a Wednesday afternoon where she is studying exercise sport science when she received a surprise phone call from her ACT Meteors captain Erin Osbourne to ask if she was interested in playing for the Melbourne Stars in WBBL05.
This article was first written for and published by The Roar.
Two rounds into the WBBL and the one thing we know for certain is that this is going to be one of the closest competitions we have seen.
At the moment the Adelaide Strikers and the Sydney Thunder are leading the pack with three wins each. They are followed by the Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes, Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Sixers who are all on four points.
This article was written by Kristy Williams.
The opening round of WBBL05 kicked off this weekend, and the first stand-alone tournament for the women was a resounding success. Prior to the season beginning, WBBL05 was promising to be the closest yet, and given the fluctuating fortunes for the six sides involved in the opening round this would appear to clearly be the case.
This article was written by Kristy Williams.
A Haidee Birkett screamer away from playing in the Final in WBBL04, the Thunder have seen their squad fleeced of talent and will be up against it to return to finals this season. Two of their star internationals, Harmanpreet Kaur and Stafanie Taylor won’t be pulling on lime green this season, and a host of other NSW locals have opted to move over to the Hurricanes. It leaves Rachael Haynes’ side a little vulnerable and their new coach, English wizard Trevor Griffin, will have his work cut out for him.
This article was written by Kristy Williams.
Queensland, and the Brisbane Heat, have a proud history of success- and with a couple of promising New Zealand additions to the squad, it may well join the Sydney Sixers in securing back-to-back titles. Six of the squad are internationals, with Sammy-Jo Johnson also in the frame for Australia, and there is no shortage of fire power in this squad. They’ll bring the heat again, no doubt.
This article was written by Kristy Williams.
Once again the Sixers start the WBBL as favourites, and given the incredible star power at their disposal, it isn’t hard to see why. They have two of the best players of their generation, a South African duo that is somehow still criminally underrated and a couple of homegrown off-spinning allrounders that can change a game with bat or ball. The club culture cultivated by Jodie Hawkins, Ben Sawyer and co. have created is nothing short of sensational.
This article was first written for and published by The Roar.
Tonight the sixth edition of the WBBL commences at North Sydney Oval with the Sydney Thunder taking on the Sydney Sixers.
This kicks of a festival of cricket over the weekend which will see the Melbourne Stars play the Hobart Hurricanes twice, the Adelaide Strikers play the Melbourne Renegades twice, the Sydney Sixers take on the Brisbane Heat and the Sydney Thunder also taking on the Brisbane Heat.
This article was written by Kristy Williams.
WBBL04 was another disappointing season for the Strikers, but with a new coach (former assistant coach Luke Williams) and several promising additions to the squad, things are looking up for this season. The recruitment of West Indian captain Stafanie Taylor, who is the third ranked All-Rounder in the ICC T20I Rankings, is a huge coup (when available) and the astute pickup of Katie Mack from the Stars provides the middle order with some much needed depth. In the past too much has been left on the shoulders of too few, but this Strikers squad now bats very deep in both disciplines and they are primed for a run at the trophy.
This article was written by Kristy Williams.
After coming within a whisker of a maiden Grand Final, the Melbourne Renegades will be out for revenge in WBBL05. There are a couple of big omissions from last season, with young speedster Tayla Vlaeminck off to Hobart and skipper Amy Satterthwaite off to have a baby. Their loss will be offset somewhat by the addition of English opener Tammy Beaumont, but they’ll be relying on their stingy bowling line-up to keep up with the top teams. How much of a loss will the veteran skipper be in the field?
This article was first written for and published by The Roar.
There is no doubt about it.
When it comes to women’s cricket, this current Australian women’s team is the best there has ever been and now they have the record to prove it.
With their ODI win against Sri Lanka at Allan Border Field on Wednesday, the Aussie women have made cricket history with a new record for the most consecutive wins in women’s ODIs. This surpasses the former record which was set between December 1997 and February 1999 set by pioneer Belinda Clarke.