# 2022–23 Sydney Thunder WBBL season

The 2022–23 Sydney Thunder Women's season was the eighth in the team's history. Coached by Trevor Griffin, the Thunder finished the regular season of WBBL|08 in last place. After missing the entirety of WBBL|07 due to family reasons, captain Rachael Haynes returned to the team in 2022–23 for her final season, having announced her impending retirement from professional cricket.

## Squad

Each 2022–23 squad was made up of 15 active players. Teams could sign up to five 'marquee players', with a maximum of three of those from overseas. Marquees were defined as any overseas player, or a local player who holds a Cricket Australia national contract at the start of the WBBL|08 signing period.
Personnel changes made ahead of the season included:
* English marquee Issy Wong departed the Thunder, signing with the Hobart Hurricanes.
* Indian marquees Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma did not re-sign with the Thunder.
* English marquee Tammy Beaumont returned to the Thunder after a season's absence.
* English marquee Amy Jones signed with the Thunder, having previously played for the Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers.
* South African marquee Chloe Tryon signed with the Thunder, having previously played for the Hobart Hurricanes.
* New Zealand marquee Lea Tahuhu signed with the Thunder as a replacement player, having previously played for the Melbourne Renegades.
* Kate Peterson departed the Thunder, signing with the Sydney Sixers.
* Belinda Vakarewa returned to the Thunder, departing the Hobart Hurricanes.
* Saskia Horley returned to the Thunder as a replacement player. Horley was approved as a local signing due to her permanent residence in Australia, despite having recently played international cricket for Scotland.
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 ||||||||||||||
| 91 | Tammy Beaumont | 11 March 1991 | Right-handed | – | 12 | 194 | 119.01 | – | – | 0 | – | Overseas marquee |
| 29 | Corinne Hall | 12 October 1987 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 15 | Rachael Haynes | 26 December 1986 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | 14 | 223 | 97.37 | – | – | 4 | – | Captain, Australian marquee |
| 4 | Anika Learoyd | 14 April 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin | 3 | 45 | 60.00 | – | – | 1 | – | |
| 36 | Phoebe Litchfield | 18 April 2003 | Left-handed | Right-arm leg spin | 14 | 280 | 117.64 | – | – | 3 | – | |
| All-rounders ||||||||||||||
| 23 | Saskia Horley | 23 February 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Replacement player |
| 58 | Sammy-Jo Johnson | 5 November 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | 14 | 134 | 89.93 | 9 | 8.33 | 4 | – | |
| 14 | Olivia Porter | 14 November 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 10 | 55 | 112.24 | 0 | 10.00 | 4 | – | |
| 94 | Chloe Tryon | 25 January 1994 | Right-handed | Left-arm orthodox | 10 | 97 | 96.03 | 5 | 6.26 | 2 | – | Overseas marquee |
| Wicket-keepers ||||||||||||||
| 40 | Amy Jones | 13 June 1993 | Right-handed | – | 11 | 210 | 103.44 | – | – | 3 | 0 | Overseas marquee; † × 5 inns |
| 21 | Tahlia Wilson | 21 October 1999 | Right-handed | – | 10 | 85 | 75.89 | – | – | 2 | 3 | † × 7 inns |
| Bowlers ||||||||||||||
| 34 | Samantha Bates | 17 August 1992 | Right-handed | Left-arm orthodox | 14 | 8 | 34.78 | 12 | 6.02 | 4 | – | |
| 25 | Hannah Darlington | 25 January 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 7 | 42 | 135.48 | 7 | 8.43 | 1 | – | |
| 12 | Jessica Davidson | 3 May 2003 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2 | Lauren Smith | 6 October 1996 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | 13 | 29 | 74.35 | 11 | 6.54 | 2 | – | |
| 19 | Lea Tahuhu | 23 September 1990 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 9 | 17 | 62.96 | 4 | 7.00 | 1 | – | Overseas marquee (replacement) |
| 47 | Belinda Vakarewa | 22 January 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | 13 | 43 | 119.44 | 5 | 6.24 | 4 | – | |

## Ladder

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
| 1 | Sydney Sixers (RU) | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 0.695 |
| 2 | Adelaide Strikers (C) | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 0.390 |
| 3 | Brisbane Heat (CF) | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 0.276 |
| 4 | Hobart Hurricanes (EF) | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 0.457 |
| 5 | Perth Scorchers | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 0.373 |
| 6 | Melbourne Stars | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 13 | −0.339 |
| 7 | Melbourne Renegades | 14 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 9 | −1.042 |
| 8 | Sydney Thunder | 14 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 5 | −1.000 |
* The top 4 teams advanced to the knockout phase

## Fixtures

All times are AEDT.
* Match 2 14 October 2022 15:00 Scorecard
| Hobart Hurricanes 5/125 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 9/106 (20 overs) |
| Mignon du Preez 33 (27) Chloe Tryon 2/14 (3 overs) | | Tahlia Wilson 26 (30) Heather Graham 3/15 (4 overs) |
* Hobart Hurricanes won by 19 runs Blacktown ISP Oval, Sydney Umpires: Andrew Hamilton and Roberto Howard Player of the match: Heather Graham (Hobart Hurricanes)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field.
* Broadcast by cricket.com.au and Foxtel
* Match 7 16 October 2022 17:00 (D/N) Scorecard
| Sydney Thunder 8/88 (20 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 1/89 (14.5 overs) |
| Tahlia Wilson 28 (35) Lilly Mills 2/12 (4 overs) | | Sophie Devine 44* (42) Chloe Tryon 1/8 (1 over) |
* Perth Scorchers won by 9 wickets (with 31 balls remaining) Blacktown ISP Oval, Sydney Umpires: Daniel Moran and Roberto Howard Player of the match: Sophie Devine (Perth Scorchers)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to bat.
* Broadcast by cricket.com.au and Foxtel
* Match 10 18 October 2022 19:05 (N) Scorecard
| Hobart Hurricanes 7/144 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 95 (18.1 overs) |
| Lizelle Lee 41 (29) Sammy-Jo Johnson 3/34 (4 overs) | | Phoebe Litchfield 28 (21) Heather Graham 2/13 (3.1 overs) |
* Hobart Hurricanes won by 49 runs Blacktown ISP Oval, Sydney Umpires: Andrew Hamilton and Daniel Moran Player of the match: Lizelle Lee (Hobart Hurricanes)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field.
* Broadcast by cricket.com.au and Foxtel
* Match 14 22 October 2022 14:30 Scorecard
| Sydney Thunder 4/166 (20 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 9/141 (20 overs) |
| Tammy Beaumont 77* (59) Alana King 1/22 (2 overs) | | Marizanne Kapp 32 (23) Lauren Smith 5/17 (4 overs) |
* Sydney Thunder won by 25 runs WACA Ground, Perth Umpires: Ashlee Gibbons and Jarryd Buscall Player of the match: Lauren Smith (Sydney Thunder)
* Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to field.
* Broadcast by cricket.com.au and Foxtel
* Match 15 23 October 2022 13:40 Scorecard
| Sydney Thunder 1/102 (13.4 overs) | v | Melbourne Stars |
| Phoebe Litchfield 50* (34) | | |
* No result WACA Ground, Perth Umpires: Jamie Thomas and Sue Redfern
* Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to field.
* Broadcast by Seven Network and Foxtel
* Match reduced to 17 overs due to rain. No further play was possible due to rain.
* Match 18 25 October 2022 18:15 (D/N) Scorecard
| Sydney Thunder 7/139 (20 overs) | v | Brisbane Heat 5/120 (17.2 overs) |
| Phoebe Litchfield 50 (38) Jess Jonassen 2/20 (4 overs) | | Georgia Redmayne 33 (36) Lea Tahuhu 3/31 (4 overs) |
* Brisbane Heat won by 3 runs (DLS method) Allan Border Field, Brisbane Umpires: Benjamin Farrell and Tom Logan Player of the match: Amelia Kerr (Brisbane Heat)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to bat.
* Brisbane Heat were set a revised target of 118 runs from 17.2 overs.
* Broadcast by cricket.com.au and Foxtel
* Match 25 31 October 2022 15:00 Scorecard
| Sydney Thunder 2/79 (13.5 overs) | v | Melbourne Stars |
| Amy Jones 38 (35) Annabel Sutherland 1/7 (1.5 overs) | | |
* No result Eastern Oval, Ballarat Umpires: Daryl Brigham and Gaurav Bawa
* Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to field.
* No further play was possible due to rain.
* Broadcast by cricket.com.au and Foxtel
* Match 27 2 November 2022 19:05 (N) Scorecard
| Sydney Sixers 6/163 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 7/148 (20 overs) |
| Ashleigh Gardner 53 (37) Lauren Smith 2/22 (3 overs) | | Rachael Haynes 37 (29) Lauren Cheatle 3/21 (4 overs) |
* Sydney Sixers won by 15 runs North Sydney Oval, Sydney Umpires: Andrew Hamilton and Roberto Howard Player of the match: Ashleigh Gardner (Sydney Sixers)
* Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to bat.
* Broadcast by cricket.com.au and Foxtel
* Venue changed from Blacktown ISP Oval to North Sydney Oval
* Match 29 4 November 2022 15:30 Scorecard
| Brisbane Heat 3/163 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 9/149 (20 overs) |
| Grace Harris 74 (54) Belinda Vakarewa 3/21 (4 overs) | | Sammy-Jo Johnson 41 (41) Jess Jonassen 3/20 (4 overs) |
* Brisbane Heat won by 14 runs Blundstone Arena, Hobart Umpires: Jeremiah Matibiri and Simon Burns Player of the match: Grace Harris (Brisbane Heat)
* Brisbane Heat won the toss and elected to bat.
* Broadcast by cricket.com.au and Foxtel
* Match 33 6 November 2022 13:40 Scorecard
| Sydney Thunder 6/121 (20 overs) | v | Melbourne Renegades 5/122 (18 overs) |
| Amy Jones 53 (48) Ella Hayward 2/14 (4 overs) | | Sophie Molineux 55* (45) Hannah Darlington 2/22 (3 overs) |
* Melbourne Renegades won by 5 wickets (with 12 balls remaining) Blundstone Arena, Hobart Umpires: Eloise Sheridan and Muhammad Qureshi Player of the match: Sophie Molineux (Melbourne Renegades)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to bat.
* Broadcast by Seven Network and Foxtel
* Match 44 13 November 2022 15:00 Scorecard
| Adelaide Strikers 3/92 (14.3 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder |
| Katie Mack 29 (28) Samantha Bates 1/10 (2.3 overs) | | |
* No result Centennial Park Oval, Nuriootpa Umpires: Dhaval Bhatt and Kurt Miegel
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field.
* No further play was possible due to rain.
* Broadcast by cricket.com.au and Foxtel
* Match 47 15 November 2022 19:10 (N) Scorecard
| Sydney Thunder 95 (20 overs) | v | Melbourne Renegades 2/98 (14.2 overs) |
| Tahlia Wilson 20 (27) Georgia Prestwidge 3/22 (4 overs) | | Hayley Matthews 46* (40) Lauren Smith 1/12 (3 overs) |
* Melbourne Renegades won by 8 wickets (with 34 balls remaining) Manuka Oval, Canberra Umpires: Andrew Crozier and Dinusha Bandara Player of the match: Georgia Prestwidge (Melbourne Renegades)
* Melbourne Renegades won the toss and elected to field.
* Broadcast by cricket.com.au and Foxtel
* Match 51 18 November 2022 19:05 (N) Scorecard
| Sydney Sixers 6/178 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 7/160 (20 overs) |
| Ashleigh Gardner 85 (48) Samantha Bates 3/21 (4 overs) | | Tammy Beaumont 51 (32) Kate Peterson 3/27 (4 overs) |
* Sydney Sixers won by 18 runs North Sydney Oval, Sydney Umpires: Claire Polosak and Roberto Howard Player of the match: Ashleigh Gardner (Sydney Sixers)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field.
* Broadcast by Seven Network and Foxtel
* Match 56 20 November 2022 17:15 (D/N) Scorecard
| Adelaide Strikers 4/144 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 118 (19.3 overs) |
| Laura Wolvaardt 75* (56) Hannah Darlington 2/36 (4 overs) | | Tammy Beaumont 37 (27) Megan Schutt 6/19 (3.3 overs) |
* Adelaide Strikers won by 26 runs North Sydney Oval, Sydney Umpires: Roberto Howard and Sharad Patel Player of the match: Megan Schutt (Adelaide Strikers)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field.
* Broadcast by Seven Network and Foxtel
* Megan Schutt (Adelaide Strikers) set a new WBBL record for best bowling figures in an innings.
* Former Australian player Rachael Haynes (Sydney Thunder) made her last WBBL appearance.

## Statistics and awards

* Most runs: Phoebe Litchfield – 280 (16th in the league)
* Highest score in an innings: Tammy Beaumont – 77* (59) vs Perth Scorchers, 22 October November 2022
* Most wickets: Samantha Bates – 12 (equal 18th in the league)
* Best bowling figures in an innings: Lauren Smith – 5/17 (4 overs) vs Perth Scorchers, 22 October 2022
* Most catches (fielder): Samantha Bates, Rachael Haynes, Olivia Porter, Chloe Tryon – 4 each (equal 31st in the league)
* Player of the Match awards: Lauren Smith – 1
* Alex Blackwell Medal: Phoebe Litchfield