The 2017–18 Sydney Thunder Women's season was the third in the team's history. Coached by Joanne Broadbent and captained by Alex Blackwell, the Thunder finished the regular season of WBBL03 in second place. They were subsequently knocked out of the tournament via a 27-run semi-final loss to the Perth Scorchers at Optus Stadium.
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 ahead of the season included:
Erin Osborne departed the Thunder, joining the Melbourne Stars. Lauren Cheatle departed the Thunder, joining the Sydney Sixers. New Zealand marquee Rachel Priest joined the Thunder, departing the Melbourne Renegades. Claire Koski departed the Thunder, joining the Melbourne Renegades. Mikayla Hinkley departed the Thunder, joining the Perth Scorchers. Stefanie Daffara departed the Thunder, joining the Hobart Hurricanes.
Changes made during the season included the signing of England marquee Fran Wilson as a replacement player.
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 2 Alex Blackwell Right-handed Right-arm medium1533895.48––4– Captain, Australian marquee 15 Rachael Haynes Left-handed Left-arm medium15426120.67––4– 45 Harmanpreet Kaur Right-handed Right-arm off spin910795.5337.005–Overseas marquee 10 Naomi Stalenberg Right-handed Right-arm medium14227112.37014.009–35Fran Wilson7 November 1991Right-handedRight-arm off spin650125.00––1–Overseas marquee (replacement) All-rounders 5 Nicola Carey Left-handed Right-arm medium15149126.27176.706– 25 Hannah Darlington 25 January 2002 Right-handed Right-arm medium––––––– Sterre Kalis Right-handed Right-arm medium––––––– Associate rookie 24 Stafanie Taylor Right-handed Right-arm off spin1516884.00156.213– Overseas marquee Wicket-keepers 3 Rachel Priest Right-handed –15264118.91––47 Overseas marquee Hannah Trethewy –––––––– Bowlers34Samantha Bates7 August 1992Right-handedLeft-arm orthodox spin147140.00165.873– 88 Rene Farrell Right-handed Right-arm fast medium1561141.86176.034–Australian marquee 13 Maisy Gibson Left-handed Right-arm leg spin15450.0096.592– 54 Lisa Griffith Right-handed Right-arm medium 6233.33010.023– 8 Rachel Trenaman Right-handed Right-arm leg spin––––––– 47 Belinda Vakarewa Right-handed Right-arm fast medium11––115.683–
Ladder
Fixtures All times are local time
Regular season
The Scorchers were well poised to chase down their target of 146 until a catch on the boundary by Thunder fielder Lisa Griffith dismissed Nicole Bolton for 71 in the 18th over, leaving the hosts needing 20 runs from the final 14 deliveries. On the last ball of the match, Scorchers batter Mathilda Carmichael was run out by a metre while attempting a game-tying run, therefore securing victory for the Thunder by the narrowest of margins.
Knockout phase
Statistics and awards
Most runs: Rachael Haynes – 426 (6th in the league) Highest score in an innings: Alex Blackwell – 81* (58) vs Perth Scorchers, 8 January 2018 Most wickets: Nicola Carey, Rene Farrell – 17 each (equal 4th in the league) Best bowling figures in an innings: Stafanie Taylor – 4/15 (4 overs) vs Hobart Hurricanes, 30 December 2017 Most catches (fielder): Naomi Stalenberg – 9 (equal 3rd in the league) Player of the Match awards: Rachael Haynes – 2 Samantha Bates, Alex Blackwell, Nicola Carey, Rene Farrell, Rachel Priest, Naomi Stalenberg, Stafanie Taylor, Belinda Vakarewa – 1 each Thunder Most Valuable Player: Rachael Haynes WBBL|03 Team of the Tournament: Rene Farrell WBBL|03 Young Gun Award: Belinda Vakarewa (nominated)
References