The 2017–18 Sydney Sixers Women's season was the third in the team's history. Coached by Ben Sawyer and captained by Ellyse Perry, the Sixers entered WBBL03 as the defending champions. They finished the regular season on top of the points table for the second season in a row and proceeded to reach a third-consecutive championship decider.
In the final, the Sixers claimed back-to-back titles with a comfortable nine-wicket defeat of the Perth Scorchers at Adelaide Oval, during which Sarah Coyte punctuated an emphatic return to top-level domestic cricket by claiming figures of 4/17 and earning Player of the Match honours.
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 for the Sixers ahead of the season included:
Lisa Sthalekar retired at the conclusion of WBBL02. Rhiannon Dick departed the team and subsequently joined the Adelaide Strikers. Erin Burns joined the team after departing the Hobart Hurricanes. Lauren Cheatle signed a three-year contract with the team, departing the Sydney Thunder. However, she would miss the entire season due to a back stress fracture injury.
The backend of the tournament was notable for the comeback of medium-pace bowler Sarah Coyte, who had previously played for the Adelaide Strikers until retiring at the conclusion of WBBL|02. With South African marquee players Marizanne Kapp and Dane van Niekerk unavailable for the climax of the competition, coach Ben Sawyer approached Coyte—who had been playing cricket for her local club Penrith occasionally during the summer—about signing for the Sixers as a replacement player. Upon returning to the league, she delivered "exemplary bowling" performances to claim ten wickets at an average of 8.10 in four matches.
England marquee Amy Jones also signed as a replacement player for the Sixers, having performed a similar role for the team during WBBL|02.
The table below lists the Sixers players and their key stats (including runs scored, batting strike rate, wickets taken, economy rate, catches and stumpings) for the season.
Name Birth date Batting style Bowling style Notes Batters 29 Erin Burns 22 June 1988 Right-handed Right-arm off spin16285118.2546.149 –40Amy Jones13 June 1993Right-handed–41976.00––0 –Marquee replacement 28 Sara McGlashan 28 March 1982 Right-handed –1614597.97––3 – Overseas marquee 33 Angela Reakes 27 December 1990 Right-handed Right-arm leg spin 1560120.00010.004 – All-rounders 6 Ashleigh Gardner 15 April 1997 Right-handed Right-arm off spin14347138.8056.894 – 4 Jodie Hicks 19 January 1997 Right-handed Right-arm medium5––––1 – 13 Clara Iemma 31 October 1998 Left-handed Right-arm off spin–––––– – 9 Emily Leys 18 February 1993 Left-handed Left-arm medium–––––– – 8 Ellyse Perry 3 November 1990 Right-handed Right-arm fast1655298.5757.103 – Captain, Australian marquee 20 Dane van Niekerk 14 May 1993 Right-handed Right-arm leg spin12145115.07205.577 – Overseas marquee Wicket-keeper 77 Alyssa Healy 24 March 1990 Right-handed –16421136.68––8 6Australian marquee Bowlers 3 Sarah Aley 3 June 1984 Right-handed Right-arm medium 1629116.00236.130 – 5 Lauren Cheatle 6 November 1998 Left-handed Left-arm fast medium–––––– –14Sarah Coyte30 March 1991Right-handedRight-arm medium4––105.061 –Marquee replacement 34 Kim Garth 25 April 1996 Right-handed Right-arm fast medium 14337.50135.865 – Associate rookie 17 Marizanne Kapp 4 January 1990 Right-handed Right-arm fast medium125076.92124.723 – Overseas marquee 74 Carly Leeson 9 November 1998 Right-handed Right-arm medium–––––– – 2 Lauren Smith 6 October 1996 Right-handed Right-arm off spin1626123.8077.766 –
Ladder
Fixtures
Regular season
Knockout phase
Statistics and awards
Most runs: Ellyse Perry – 552 (1st in the league) Highest score in an innings: Ashleigh Gardner – 114 (52) vs Melbourne Stars, 9 December 2017 Most wickets: Sarah Aley – 23 (equal 1st in the league) Best bowling figures in an innings: Dane van Niekerk – 4/13 (4 overs) vs Melbourne Renegades, 2 January 2018 Most catches (fielder): Erin Burns – 9 (equal 3rd in the league) Player of the Match awards: Sarah Coyte, Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry, Dane van Niekerk – 2 each Sarah Aley, Erin Burns, Marizanne Kapp – 1 each Sixers Player of the Tournament: Ellyse Perry WBBL|03 Player of the Tournament: Ellyse Perry (3rd) WBBL|03 Team of the Tournament: Sarah Aley, Ellyse Perry, Dane van Niekerk WBBL|03 Young Gun Award: Ashleigh Gardner (nominated)
References