# 2017–18 Melbourne Stars WBBL season

The 2017–18 Melbourne Stars Women's season was the third in the team's history. Coached by David Hemp and captained by Kristen Beams, the Stars finished WBBL|03 in seventh place.

## Squad

Each WBBL|03 squad featured 15 active players, with an allowance of up to five marquee signings including a maximum of three from overseas. Australian marquees were defined as players who made at least ten limited-overs appearances for the national team in the three years prior to the cut-off date (24 April 2017).
Personnel changes made ahead of the season included:
* Meg Lanning departed the Stars, signing with the Perth Scorchers. Kristen Beams was appointed captain of the team following Lanning's departure.
* English marquee Nat Sciver departed the Stars, also signing with the Perth Scorchers.
* New Zealand marquee Morna Nielsen and English marquee Danielle Hazell did not re-sign with the Stars.
* Erin Osborne signed with the Stars, departing the Sydney Thunder.
* Jess Duffin, Hayley Jensen and Emma Inglis departed the Stars, all signing with the Melbourne Renegades.
* Annabel Sutherland signed with the Stars, departing the Melbourne Renegades.
Changes made during the season included:
* Erin Osborne stood in as acting captain for two matches.
* New Zealand marquee Katey Martin signed with the Stars as a replacement player.
The table below lists the Stars players and their key stats (including runs scored, batting strike rate, wickets taken, economy rate, catches and stumpings) for the season.
| No. | Name | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | G | R | SR | W | E | C | S | Notes |
| Batters ||||||||||||||
| 15 | Makinley Blows | 12 December 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 14 | 19 | 146.15 | 4 | 6.58 | 1 | – | |
| 00 | Mignon du Preez | 13 June 1989 | Right-handed | – | 12 | 269 | 112.08 | 0 | 6.00 | 5 | – | Overseas marquee |
| 9 | Anna Lanning | 25 March 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 14 | 174 | 83.25 | – | – | 2 | – | |
| 2 | Katie Mack | 14 September 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin | 14 | 291 | 105.43 | – | – | 3 | – | |
| 21 | Katey Martin | 7 February 1985 | Right-handed | – | 2 | 17 | 80.95 | – | – | 2 | – | Overseas marquee (replacement) |
| All-rounders ||||||||||||||
| 34 | Georgia Elwiss | 31 May 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 10 | 184 | 93.40 | 7 | 7.57 | 0 | – | Overseas marquee |
| 13 | Alana King | 22 November 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin | 14 | 112 | 99.11 | 13 | 7.50 | 2 | – | |
| 76 | Erin Osborne | 27 June 1989 | Right-handed | Right arm off spin | 14 | 211 | 92.54 | 15 | 6.33 | 8 | – | Australian marquee |
| Wicket-keepers ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Nicole Faltum | 17 January 2000 | Right-handed | – | 9 | 0 | 0.00 | – | – | 0 | 6 | |
| 67 | Lizelle Lee | 2 April 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 12 | 349 | 111.14 | – | – | 4 | 0 | Overseas marquee |
| Bowlers ||||||||||||||
| 27 | Hayleigh Brennan | 5 March 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 1 | 1 | 50.00 | 0 | 18.00 | 0 | – | |
| 26 | Kristen Beams | 6 November 1984 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin | 12 | 2 | 100.00 | 4 | 5.73 | 4 | – | Captain, Australian marquee |
| 22 | Emma Kearney | 24 September 1989 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 10 | 20 | 105.26 | 4 | 8.53 | 0 | – | |
| 7 | Chloe Rafferty | 16 June 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | 2 | – | – | – | – | 0 | – | |
| 3 | Annabel Sutherland | 12 October 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | 7 | 22 | 104.76 | 9 | 5.48 | 3 | – | |
| 8 | Gemma Triscari | 24 January 1990 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast medium | 7 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 10.54 | 1 | – | |
| | Khadija Tul Kubra | 30 January 1995 | Right-handed | Right arm off spin | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Associate Rookie |

## Ladder

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
| 1 | Sydney Sixers (C) | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0.890 |
| 2 | Sydney Thunder | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0.684 |
| 3 | Perth Scorchers (RU) | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 0.266 |
| 4 | Adelaide Strikers | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 0.250 |
| 5 | Brisbane Heat | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0.147 |
| 6 | Melbourne Renegades | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 0.092 |
| 7 | Melbourne Stars | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 10 | −0.634 |
| 8 | Hobart Hurricanes | 14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 4 | −1.733 |
* The top four teams qualified for the semi finals.

## Fixtures

All times are local
* Match 3 9 December 2017 18:15 (D/N) Scorecard
| Sydney Sixers 4/242 (20 overs) | v | Melbourne Stars 7/156 (20 overs) |
| Ashleigh Gardner 114 (52) Erin Osborne 2/33 (4 overs) | | Lizelle Lee 64 (36) Sarah Aley 2/30 (4 overs) |
* Sydney Sixers won by 86 runs North Sydney Oval No. 2 Umpires: Marc Nickl and Ben Treloar Player of the match: Ashleigh Gardner (Sixers)
* Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to field
* Broadcast by Network Ten
* Match 8 12 December 2017 14:00 Scorecard
| Melbourne Stars 8/114 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 2/115 (14.3 overs) |
| Lizelle Lee 31 (25) Harmanpreet Kaur 3/18 (4 overs) | | Rachael Haynes 54 (33) Emma Kearney 1/25 (3 overs) |
* Sydney Thunder won by 8 wickets (with 33 balls remaining) Lavington Sports Oval, Albury Umpires: Dinusha Bandara and Andrew Crozier Player of the match: Rachael Haynes (Thunder)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 10 16 December 2017 13:00 Scorecard
| Melbourne Stars 4/132 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 1/135 (15.1 overs) |
| Mignon du Preez 58 (48) Samantha Bates 1/16 (4 overs) | | Rachael Haynes 78* (49) Erin Osborne 1/26 (4 overs) |
* Sydney Thunder won by 9 wickets (with 29 balls remaining) Howell Oval, Penrith Umpires: Ryan Nelson and G Stubbings Player of the match: Rachael Haynes (Thunder)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 17 26 December 2017 11:20 Scorecard
| Melbourne Stars 4/163 (20 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 1/164 (18.3 overs) |
| Lizelle Lee 76 (62) Emma King 2/24 (4 overs) | | Elyse Villani 84* (53) Erin Osborne 1/24 (4 overs) |
* Perth Scorchers won by 9 wickets (with 9 balls remaining) WACA Ground, Perth Umpires: Ashlee Kovalevs and John Taylor Player of the match: Nicole Bolton (Scorchers)
* Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to field
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Double header with Match 7 of the Men's BBL
* Match 18 27 December 2017 11:30 Scorecard
| Melbourne Stars 6/149 (20 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 4/137 (20 overs) |
| Georgia Elwiss 25 (24) Katherine Brunt 2/13 (3 overs) | | Elyse Villani 72 (44) Alana King 1/11 (2 overs) |
* Melbourne Stars won by 12 runs WACA Ground, Perth Umpires: James Hewitt and John Taylor Player of the match: Elyse Villani (Scorchers)
* Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to bat
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 26 3 January 2018 14:00 Scorecard
| Adelaide Strikers 5/144 (20 overs) | v | Melbourne Stars 9/122 (20 overs) |
| Tammy Beaumont 46 (48) Georgia Elwiss 2/22 (4 overs) | | Lizelle Lee 44 (42) Megan Schutt 2/23 (4 overs) |
* Adelaide Strikers won by 22 runs Casey Fields No. 4, Melbourne Umpires: Stephen Brne and Dale Ireland Player of the match: Alex Price (Strikers)
* Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to field
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 27 6 January 2018 14:20 Scorecard
| Melbourne Renegades 6/142 (20 overs) | v | Melbourne Stars 3/145 (19 overs) |
| Jess Duffin 40 (34) Erin Osborne 2/14 (4 overs) | | Georgia Elwiss 59* (51) Lea Tahuhu 1/21 (3 overs) |
* Melbourne Stars won by 7 wickets (with 6 balls remaining) Melbourne Cricket Ground Umpires: Daryl Brigham and Dale Ireland Player of the match: Georgia Elwiss (Stars)
* Melbourne Renegades won the toss and elected to bat
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 32 6 January 2018 14:20 Scorecard
| Melbourne Stars 5/132 (20 overs) | v | Adelaide Strikers 9/134 (20 overs) |
| Lizelle Lee 52 (52) Sophie Devine 2/28 (4 overs) | | Tabatha Saville 28* (27) Annabel Sutherland 4/20 (4 overs) |
* Adelaide Strikers won by 1 wicket (with 0 balls remaining) Adelaide Oval Umpires: David Shepard and Craig Thomas Player of the match: Tabatha Saville (Strikers)
* Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to bat
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
The Adelaide Strikers recorded the first-ever one-wicket victory in WBBL history, defeating the Melbourne Stars on the last ball of the match. Requiring three runs with one delivery remaining, Tabatha Saville scored a boundary off Stars captain Kristen Beams to clinch a narrow win for the Strikers.
* Match 33 12 January 2018 18:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Melbourne Stars 3/133 (20 overs) | v | Brisbane Heat 5/134 (18.1 overs) |
| Katie Mack 57 (48) Deandra Dottin 2/13 (3 overs) | | Beth Mooney 57 (38) Alana King 2/22 (4 overs) |
* Brisbane Heat won by 5 wickets (with 11 balls remaining) Harrup Park, Mackay Umpires: Stephen Dionysius and David Taylor Player of the match: Beth Mooney (Heat)
* Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to bat
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 36 13 January 2018 18:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Brisbane Heat 8/93 (20 overs) | v | Melbourne Stars 4/94 (17.2 overs) |
| Jess Jonassen 46 (46) Erin Osborne 4/20 (4 overs) | | Mignon du Preez 36* (34) Sammy-Jo Johnson 2/26 (3.2 overs) |
* Melbourne Stars won by 6 wickets (with 16 balls remaining) Harrup Park, Mackay Umpires: Stephen Dionysius and David Taylor Player of the match: Erin Osborne (Stars)
* Brisbane Heat won the toss and elected to bat
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 42 20 January 2018 13:45 Scorecard
| Melbourne Stars 6/118 (20 overs) | v | Melbourne Renegades 6/118 (20 overs) |
| Alana King 22 (17) Molly Strano 1/17 (3 overs) | | Amy Satterthwaite 31* (27) Annabel Sutherland 2/11 (4 overs) |
* Match Tied (Melbourne Stars won the Super Over) Melbourne Cricket Ground Umpires: Stephen Brne and David Shepard Player of the match: Alana King (Stars)
* Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to bat
* Broadcast by Network Ten
* Match 46 21 January 2018 14:00 Scorecard
| Melbourne Stars 7/106 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Sixers 5/107 (18 overs) |
| Erin Osborne 39 (43) Marizanne Kapp 2/13 (4 overs) | | Ellyse Perry 39* (45) Annabel Sutherland 1/13 (3 overs) |
* Sydney Sixers won by 5 wickets (with 12 balls remaining) Casey Fields No. 4, Melbourne Umpires: Stephen Brne and Dale Ireland Player of the match: Ellyse Perry (Sixers)
* Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to bat
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 49 27 January 2018 12:20 Scorecard
| Hobart Hurricanes 7/107 (20 overs) | v | Melbourne Stars 3/108 (18 overs) |
| Hayley Matthews 34 (30) Alana King 2/23 (4 overs) | | Katie Mack 42 (44) Nicola Hancock 2/18 (4 overs) |
* Melbourne Stars won by 7 wickets (with 12 balls remaining) Melbourne Cricket Ground Umpires: Daryl Brigham and Darren Close Player of the match: Katie Mack (Stars)
* Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to field
* Broadcast by Network Ten
* Match 53 28 January 2018 12:00 Scorecard
| Hobart Hurricanes 6/130 (20 overs) | v | Melbourne Stars 7/128 (20 overs) |
| Hayley Matthews 44 (44) Erin Osborne 3/23 (4 overs) | | Erin Osborne 30 (29) Nicola Hancock 2/22 (4 overs) |
* Hobart Hurricanes won by 2 runs Melbourne Cricket Ground Umpires: Stephen Brne and Dale Ireland Player of the match: Hayley Matthews (Hurricanes)
* Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to field
* Streamed on cricket.com.au

## Statistics and awards

* Most runs: Lizelle Lee – 349 (10th in the league)
* Highest score in an innings: Lizelle Lee – 76 (62) vs Perth Scorchers, 26 December 2017
* Most wickets: Erin Osborne – 15 (equal 10th in the league)
* Best bowling figures in an innings:
** Annabel Sutherland – 4/20 (4 overs) vs Adelaide Strikers, 9 January 2018
** Erin Osborne – 4/20 (4 overs) vs Brisbane Heat, 13 January 2018
* Most catches (fielder): Erin Osborne – 8 (equal 8th in the league)
* Player of the Match awards:
** Georgia Elwiss, Alana King, Katie Mack, Erin Osborne – 1 each
* Stars Player of the Season: Erin Osborne
* WBBL|03 Young Gun Award: Annabel Sutherland (nominated)