# 2018–19 Sydney Thunder WBBL season

The 2018–19 Sydney Thunder Women's season was the fourth in the team's history. Coached by Joanne Broadbent and captained by Alex Blackwell, the Thunder finished second in the regular season of WBBL|04 and qualified for the playoffs. In an "incredible" semi-final, notable for a catch taken by Haidee Birkett on the last ball of the game to dismiss Nicola Carey, Sydney suffered a four-run defeat at the hands of the Brisbane Heat and were consequently eliminated from the tournament. It was thus the second-straight year in which they lost a knockout game to a lower-ranked opponent.

## Squad

Each 2018–19 squad featured 15 active players, with an allowance of up to five marquee signings including a maximum of three from overseas. Under a new rule, Australian marquees were classed as players who held a national women's team contract at the time of signing on for their WBBL|04 team.
The Thunder made just one change to their squad from the previous season, adding Saskia Horley as their only new inclusion. Indian marquee Harmanpreet Kaur returned for her third campaign with the Thunder, but she was unavailable to play the first match and the semi-final due to national team commitments. In November 2019, the recurring issue of conflicting schedules with overseas players prompted newly appointed Cricket Australia board member Mel Jones to call for greater cooperation between nations to give the league a clearer window.
The table below lists the Thunder 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 ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Alex Blackwell | 31 August 1983 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 15 | 301 | 122.35 | – | – | 2 | – | Captain, Australian marquee |
| 15 | Rachael Haynes | 26 December 1986 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | 13 | 376 | 114.63 | – | – | 1 | – | Australian marquee |
| 45 | Harmanpreet Kaur | 8 March 1989 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | 13 | 310 | 126.53 | 3 | 8.66 | 7 | – | Overseas marquee |
| 10 | Naomi Stalenberg | 18 April 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 15 | 244 | 91.04 | – | – | 5 | – | |
| All-rounders ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Nicola Carey | 10 September 1993 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | 15 | 104 | 131.64 | 15 | 7.34 | 8 | – | |
| 23 | Saskia Horley | 23 February 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 24 | Stafanie Taylor | 11 June 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | 15 | 212 | 108.71 | 19 | 6.91 | 7 | – | Overseas marquee |
| 8 | Rachel Trenaman | 18 April 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin | 5 | 12 | 133.33 | 3 | 6.22 | 0 | – | |
| Wicket-keeper ||||||||||||||
| 3 | Rachel Priest | 13 July 1985 | Right-handed | – | 15 | 338 | 134.12 | – | – | 4 | 6 | Overseas marquee |
| Bowlers ||||||||||||||
| 34 | Samantha Bates | 7 August 1992 | Right-handed | Left-arm orthodox | 15 | – | – | 9 | 6.31 | 3 | – | |
| 25 | Hannah Darlington | 25 January 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 88 | Rene Farrell | 13 January 1987 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 10 | 33 | 157.14 | 14 | 7.20 | 0 | – | |
| 13 | Maisy Gibson | 14 September 1996 | Left-handed | Right-arm leg spin | 12 | 5 | 71.42 | 12 | 7.30 | 5 | – | |
| 54 | Lisa Griffith | 28 August 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | 12 | – | – | 9 | 6.90 | 0 | – | |
| 47 | Belinda Vakarewa | 22 January 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | 10 | – | – | 3 | 6.91 | 2 | – | |

## Ladder

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
| 1 | Sydney Sixers (RU) | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0.509 |
| 2 | Sydney Thunder | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 0.479 |
| 3 | Brisbane Heat (C) | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 1.118 |
| 4 | Melbourne Renegades | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 15 | −0.079 |
| 5 | Perth Scorchers | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | −0.476 |
| 6 | Adelaide Strikers | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 11 | −0.336 |
| 7 | Melbourne Stars | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 11 | −0.905 |
| 8 | Hobart Hurricanes | 14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 4 | −0.364 |
* The four top ranked teams qualified for the semi finals

## Fixtures

All times are local time

### Regular season

* Match 4 2 December 2018 13:50 Scorecard
| Melbourne Renegades 8/98 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 4/99 (16.5 overs) |
| Erica Kershaw 24 (27) Rene Farrell 3/17 (4 overs) | | Rachael Haynes 27 (25) Tayla Vlaeminck 4/29 (3.5 overs) |
* Sydney Thunder won by 6 wickets (with 19 balls remaining) CitiPower Centre, St Kilda Umpires: Greg Azzopardi and David Shepard Player of the match: Rene Farrell (Sydney Thunder)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
* Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
* Match 9 8 December 2018 19:10 (D/N) Scorecard
| Sydney Sixers 4/168 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 7/132 (20 overs) |
| Ellyse Perry 75* (66) Stafanie Taylor 2/16 (3 overs) | | Harmanpreet Kaur 45 (28) Ellyse Perry 2/11 (3 overs) |
* Sydney Sixers won by 36 runs North Sydney Oval No. 1 Umpires: Marc Nickl and Donovan Koch Player of the match: Ellyse Perry (Sydney Sixers)
* Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to bat
* Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
* Match 12 9 December 2018 14:50 Scorecard
| Sydney Thunder 4/192 (20 overs) | v | Brisbane Heat 164 (18.5 overs) |
| Harmanpreet Kaur 56 (26) Sammy-Jo Johnson 2/30 (4 overs) | | Grace Harris 54 (28) Maisy Gibson 3/18 (3 overs) |
* Sydney Thunder won by 28 runs North Sydney Oval No. 1 Umpires: David Shepard and Marc Nickl Player of the match: Harmanpreet Kaur (Sydney Thunder)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to bat
* Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
* Match 14 15 December 2018 14:20 Scorecard
| Adelaide Strikers 132 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 4/134 (17.3 overs) |
| Suzie Bates 79* (60) Rene Farrell 3/12 (4 overs) | | Rachel Priest 58* (46) Samantha Betts 1/18 (2 overs) |
* Sydney Thunder won by 6 wickets (with 15 balls remaining) Blundstone Arena, Hobart Umpires: Darren Close and Michael Graham-Smith Player of the match: Suzie Bates (Adelaide Strikers)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
* Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
* Match 17 16 December 2018 10:10 Scorecard
| Adelaide Strikers 5/145 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 5/146 (18.2 overs) |
| Bridget Patterson 36* (40) Stafanie Taylor 2/33 (4 overs) | | Stafanie Taylor 55 (42) Danielle Hazell 1/20 (3 overs) |
* Sydney Thunder won by 5 wickets (with 10 balls remaining) Blundstone Arena, Hobart Umpires: Wade Stewart and Harvey Wolff Player of the match: Stafanie Taylor (Sydney Thunder)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
* Match 22 21 December 2018 13:50 Scorecard
| Hobart Hurricanes 9/153 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 4/156 (17.2 overs) |
| Erin Fazackerley 35 (21) Stafanie Taylor 3/24 (4 overs) | | Naomi Stalenberg 55 (39) Heather Knight 2/25 (3 overs) |
* Sydney Thunder won by 6 wickets (with 16 balls remaining) Manuka Oval, Canberra Umpires: Darren Close and Andrew Crozier Player of the match: Stafanie Taylor (Sydney Thunder)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
* Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
* Match 29 24 December 14:15 Scorecard
| Hobart Hurricanes 135 (19.4 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 4/136 (16.4 overs) |
| Smriti Mandhana 35 (22) Rene Farrell 2/20 (3.4 overs) | | Rachael Haynes 68* (48) Brooke Hepburn 1/13 (3 overs) |
* Sydney Thunder won by 6 wickets (with 20 balls remaining) Spotless Stadium, Sydney Umpires: Ryan Nelson and Andrew Hamilton Player of the match: Rachael Haynes (Sydney Thunder)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
* Match 33 29 December 10:00 Scorecard
| Sydney Thunder 5/179 (20 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 4/180 (19.5 overs) |
| Rachael Haynes 50 (40) Piepa Cleary 2/28 (4 overs) | | Meg Lanning 76 (40) Nicola Carey 2/35 (4 overs) |
* Perth Scorchers won by 6 wickets (with 1 ball remaining) Lilac Hill Park, Perth Umpires: Ashlee Gibbons and James Hewitt Player of the match: Meg Lanning (Perth Scorchers)
* Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to field
* Perth Scorchers set a new record for the highest successful run chase in a WBBL match
The Thunder were catapulted to a score of 5/179 by a late 49-run partnership between Harmanpreet Kaur and Stafanie Taylor (which included 21 runs off the 18th over against the bowling of Taneale Peschel, who had taken 1/12 in her first three overs). Eight overs into the second innings, Meg Lanning had scored 71 of the Scorchers' 83 runs. Although Lanning was run out for 76 in the tenth over, Elyse Villani went on to score 66 not out, guiding the Scorchers to a six-wicket victory with one ball remaining. In doing so, the Scorchers set a new WBBL record for highest successful run chase.
* Match 35 30 December 10:00 Scorecard
| Perth Scorchers 7/127 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 5/124 (20 overs) |
| Nicole Bolton 50 (41) Lisa Griffith 2/17 (3 overs) | | Alex Blackwell 37 (30) Heather Graham 2/8 (3 overs) |
* Perth Scorchers won by 3 runs Lilac Hill Park, Perth Umpires: Trent Steenholdt and J Paterson Player of the match: Nicole Bolton (Perth Scorchers)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
* Match 40 2 January 14:50 Scorecard
| Sydney Sixers 7/98 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 2/101 (17.4 overs) |
| Marizanne Kapp 40 (41) Rachel Trenaman 2/11 (4 overs) | | Naomi Stalenberg 44 (50) Marizanne Kapp 1/13 (4 overs) |
* Sydney Thunder won by 8 wickets (with 14 balls remaining) Spotless Stadium, Sydney Umpires: Ryan Nelson and Ben Treloar Player of the match: Lisa Griffith (Sydney Thunder)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
* Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
* Match 42 5 January 14:00 Scorecard
| Sydney Thunder 3/92 (9.2 overs) | v | Melbourne Stars |
| Harmanpreet Kaur 21* (16) Holly Ferling 2/25 (3 overs) | | |
* No result Blacktown International Sportspark, Sydney Umpires: T Penman and Marc Nickl
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to bat
* Match abandoned due to rain
* Match 45 6 January 14:00 Scorecard
| Sydney Thunder 6/122 (20 overs) | v | Melbourne Stars 9/117 (20 overs) |
| Nicola Carey 39* (32) Annabel Sutherland 2/17 (4 overs) | | Angela Reakes 33 (38) Maisy Gibson 3/22 (4 overs) |
* Sydney Thunder won by 5 runs Bankstown Oval, Sydney Umpires: T Penman and Roberto Howard Player of the match: Nicola Carey (Sydney Thunder)
* Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to field
* Match 47 8 January 13:50 Scorecard
| Melbourne Renegades 4/139 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 4/141 (19.1 overs) |
| Danni Wyatt 59 (53) Nicola Carey 2/25 (3 overs) | | Alex Blackwell 66* (48) Lea Tahuhu 1/23 (4 overs) |
* Sydney Thunder won by 6 wickets (with 5 balls remaining) Spotless Stadium, Sydney Umpires: T Penman and Donovan Koch Player of the match: Alex Blackwell (Sydney Thunder)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
* Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
* Match 53 12 January 18:15 Scorecard
| Sydney Thunder 7/171 (20 overs) | v | Brisbane Heat 7/172 (19.3 overs) |
| Rachael Haynes 57 (51) Delissa Kimmince 2/23 (4 overs) | | Beth Mooney 102 (55) Harmanpreet Kaur 2/23 (3 overs) |
* Brisbane Heat won by 3 wickets (with 3 balls remaining) Cazaly's Stadium, Cairns Attendance: 4,673 Umpires: Donovan Koch and Stephen Dionysius Player of the match: Beth Mooney (Brisbane Heat)
* Brisbane Heat won the toss and elected to field
Responding to the Thunder's first innings total of 7/171, Heat opener Beth Mooney recorded her maiden WBBL century but was then dismissed in the 17th over. With Brisbane still requiring 19 runs off the last twelve balls, Harmanpreet Kaur—having already claimed two wickets, including the stumping of Mooney, for just ten runs—came on to bowl her third over. The Heat, primarily through Delissa Kimmince, scored 13 runs off the over to swing the momentum once more. Laura Harris then hit the winning runs against the bowling of Nicola Carey with three wickets in hand and three balls remaining, making it Brisbane's highest successful run chase. The result helped to set up a semi-final encounter between the two teams on the following weekend.

### Knockout stage

* Semi-final 1 19 January 10:40 Scorecard
| Brisbane Heat 7/140 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 7/136 (20 overs) |
| Sammy-Jo Johnson 33 (25) Stafanie Taylor 1/13 (2 overs) | | Rachel Priest 44 (33) Jemma Barsby 3/23 (2 overs) |
* Brisbane Heat won by 4 runs Drummoyne Oval, Sydney Umpires: David Shepard and Darren Close Player of the match: Sammy-Jo Johnson (Brisbane Heat)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
* Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
The lower-ranked Heat posted a first innings total of 7/140, recovering from 5/78 after 12 overs through an unbeaten knock of 32 from 25 by Laura Harris. After struggling through the middle overs of the run chase, a late charge by the Thunder brought the hosts back into the contest to leave a required five runs off the final delivery for victory. The last ball, sent down by spinner Jess Jonassen, was struck flat and cleanly to deep square leg by batter Nicola Carey. Jonassen immediately signalled disappointment as the ball set sail for beyond the boundary rope, therefore scoring six runs and clinching the match for Sydney... However, Brisbane fielder Haidee Birkett made enough ground in time to take a "miracle" catch just inside the field of play to knock the Thunder out of the tournament. The match, in conjunction with the other semi-final played later in the day, was hailed as a showcase of "the irrefutable rise of women's cricket" and "sport with drama, skill and unpredictability – a potent recipe for success".

## Statistics and awards

* Most runs: Rachael Haynes – 376 (8th in the league)
* Highest score in an innings: Rachael Haynes – 68* (48) vs Hobart Hurricanes, 24 December 2018
* Most wickets: Stafanie Taylor – 19 (equal 5th in the league)
* Best bowling figures in an innings: Rene Farrell – 3/12 (4 overs) vs Adelaide Strikers, 15 December 2018
* Most catches (fielder): Nicola Carey – 8 (equal 5th in the league)
* Player of the Match awards:
** Stafanie Taylor – 2
** Alex Blackwell, Nicola Carey, Rene Farrell, Lisa Griffith, Rachael Haynes, Harmanpreet Kaur – 1 each
* Alex Blackwell Medal: Rachel Priest
* WBBL|04 Team of the Tournament: Stafanie Taylor