Melbourne Stars (WBBL) explained

Melbourne Stars (WBBL)
League:	Women's Big Bash League
City:	Melbourne
Colours:	Green
Ground:	CitiPower Centre
Captain:	Meg Lanning
Coach:	Jonathan Batty
Title1:	WBBL
Title1wins:	0
Current:	Current season

The Melbourne Stars (WBBL) are an Australian women's Twenty20 cricket team based in St Kilda, Victoria. They are one of two teams from Melbourne to compete in the Women's Big Bash League, the other being the Melbourne Renegades. To date, the Stars' best performance occurred in WBBL06 when they ended the regular season as minor premiers before ultimately finishing as runners-up.

History

Formation

One of eight founding WBBL teams, the Melbourne Stars are aligned with the men's team of the same name.^[1] At the official WBBL launch on 10 July 2015, Meg Lanning was unveiled as the Stars' first-ever player signing.^[2] Lanning would also become the team's inaugural captain, while David Hemp was appointed as the inaugural coach.^[3]

The Stars played their first match on 5 December against the Brisbane Heat at the Junction Oval, winning by 20 runs.^[4]

Rivalries

Hobart Hurricanes

The Stars and Hobart Hurricanes have combined to produce an inordinate amount of matches with close finishes, including:

• 16 January 2016, Blacktown ISP Oval: On a crumbling pitch, criticised earlier in the Australian summer for its sub-standard preparation,^[5] the Stars crawled to a first innings total of 7/96 before fighting back to have the Hurricanes at 4/49 in the twelfth over of the run chase. An unbroken stand of 48 runs from the next 51 balls between Corinne Hall and Amy Satterthwaite steered Hobart out of trouble, with Hall scoring a single on the final delivery to secure victory for the 'Canes.^[6]
• 20 January 2017, Blundstone Arena: In a rain-affected encounter, Hobart posted a first innings total of 3/115 off 14 overs. Chasing a revised target of 98 from twelve overs, Melbourne lost 4/7 late in the match (including the wicket of Emma Inglis for 51 off 31) to leave a required twelve runs from the last two balls for victory. Jess Cameron proceeded to hit a six off the penultimate legal delivery before Hurricanes off-spinner Amy Satterthwaite bowled a front-foot no-ball while also conceding a four on what would have otherwise been the final ball of the innings. With Satterthwaite having to bowl the final delivery again, Cameron scored the remaining single needed to pull off an unlikely six-wicket win for the Stars.^[7]
• 21 January 2017, Blundstone Arena: The following morning, on the last day of the WBBL|02 regular season, the Stars and Hurricanes met again—this time in what was effectively a quarter-final knockout match with the winner progressing to the semi-finals and the loser being eliminated from the tournament.^[8] Meg Lanning made 81 runs for the Stars in the first innings, earning Player of the Match honours, but was dismissed in the 19th over by a stunning Julie Hunter catch at square leg.^[9] A spell of 3/11 off four overs by Kristen Beams was not enough to defend the target of 136 as the Hurricanes scored the winning runs (through Corinne Hall again) with four wickets in hand and one ball remaining.^[10]

Melbourne Renegades

Noteworthy matches between the Stars and their cross-town rivals, the Melbourne Renegades, include:

• 1 January 2017, Melbourne Cricket Ground: Played in front of a reported crowd of 24,547—as part of a double-header with the men's BBL, setting a new record for the highest non-standalone WBBL attendance—the rain-affected match ended in anticlimactic fashion with the Renegades adjudged nine-wicket winners via the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method.^[11] Stars captain Meg Lanning initially protested the ruling with officiating umpires, claiming she had been given false information about the par score by the match referee.^[12]
• 20 January 2018, Melbourne Cricket Ground: Chasing 119 for victory, Renegades captain Amy Satterthwaite—who looked to have been run out earlier in the innings and left the field, but was recalled after TV replays showed wicket-keeper Nicole Faltum had dislodged the bails prematurely—hit a six off the final delivery against the bowling of Georgia Elwiss to tie the game. With scores still level after the super over, the Stars were awarded the win on the boundary count back rule.^{[13] [14]}
• 29 December 2018, Docklands Stadium: The Renegades recorded the second one-wicket victory in the league's history when Lea Tahuhu, a fast bowler not known for her batting ability, hit the winning single off leg-spinning Stars captain Kristen Beams with just one ball to spare. Courtney Webb, on 21 not out, was the set batter at the non-striker's end.^{[15] [16]}

Captaincy records

There have been five captains in the Stars' history, including matches featuring an acting captain.

Captain	Span		Won	Lost	Tied
Meg Lanning	2015–2021	54	27	25	0	2	51.92
Kristen Beams	2017–2019	19	7	12	0	0	36.84
Erin Osborne	2018–2019	10	4	5	0	1	44.44
Elyse Villani	2019	14	2	12	0	0	14.29
Nicole Faltum	2022	14	5	6	0	3	45.45

Source:^[17]

Season summaries

Season			Finals	Coach	Captain	Most Runs	Most Wickets		Refs
2015–16	7–7	5th	DNQ	David Hemp	Meg Lanning		Morna Nielsen – 18	Meg Lanning*	^[18] ^[19] ^[20]
2016–17	7–7	5th	DNQ	David Hemp				Meg Lanning	^[21] ^[22] ^[23]
2017–18	5–9	7th	DNQ			Lizelle Lee – 349	Erin Osborne – 15	Erin Osborne	^[24] ^[25] ^[26]
2018–19	5–8	7th	DNQ	David Hemp	Kristen Beams	Lizelle Lee – 276	Alana King – 15	Alana King	^[27] ^[28] ^[29]
		8th	DNQ	David Hemp	Elyse Villani	Lizelle Lee – 475	Erin Osborne – 11	Lizelle Lee	^[30] ^[31] ^[32]
		1st*	RU		Meg Lanning	Meg Lanning – 493	Nat Sciver – 19	Nat Sciver	^[33] ^[34] ^[35]
	5–7	5th	DNQ		Meg Lanning	Elyse Villani – 439	Kim Garth – 15	Kim Garth	^[36] ^[37] ^[38]
	5–6	6th	DNQ		Nicole Faltum			Annabel Sutherland	^[39] ^[40] ^[41]

Legend

DNQ	Did not qualify	SF	Semi-finalists		Led the league
EF	Lost the Eliminator	RU	Runners-up	^	League record
CF	Lost the Challenger	C	Champions

Home grounds

Venue	Games hosted by season
01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	Total
Casey Fields	–	2	2	2	–	N/A		–	6
Eastern Oval	–	–	–	–	–			1	1
Junction Oval	4	–	–	1	6			2	13
Melbourne Cricket Ground	2	2	4	2	–			–	10
Ted Summerton Reserve	–	–	–	–	–			2	2
Toorak Park	–	1	–	–	–			–	1

Players

Australian representatives

The following is a list of cricketers who have played for the Melbourne Stars after making their debut in the national women's team (the period they spent as both a Melbourne Stars squad member and an Australian-capped player is in brackets):

Associate rookies

Statistics and awards

Team stats

• Champions: 0
• Runners-up: 1 – WBBL06
• Minor premiers

1 – WBBL|06

• Win–loss record:

Opposition		Won	Lost	Tied
Adelaide Strikers	16	9	7	0	0	56.25
Brisbane Heat	15	6	8	0	1	42.86
Hobart Hurricanes	16	6	10	0	0	37.50
Melbourne Renegades	15	6	8	0	1	42.86
Perth Scorchers	17	7	10	0	0	41.18
Sydney Sixers	15	7	8	0	0	46.67
Sydney Thunder	17	4	9	0	4	30.77
Total	111	45	60	0	6	42.86

• Highest score in an innings: 5/186 (20 overs) vs Adelaide Strikers, 2 November 2022
• Highest successful chase: 1/181 (19.3 overs) vs Adelaide Strikers, 21 November 2021
• Lowest successful defence: 7/108 (20 overs) vs Sydney Thunder, 26 October 2021
• Largest victory:
  • Batting first: 54 runs vs Brisbane Heat, 26 December 2016
  • Batting second: 46 balls remaining vs Hobart Hurricanes, 1 November 2020
• Longest winning streak: 6 matches (1–14 November 2020)
• Longest losing streak: 5 matches

Source:^[42]

Individual stats

• Most runs: Meg Lanning – 1,805
• Highest score in an innings: Lizelle Lee – 103 (65) vs Perth Scorchers, 2 November 2019
• Highest partnership: Meg Lanning and Mignon du Preez – 156* vs Adelaide Strikers, 8 January 2016
• Most wickets: Annabel Sutherland – 59
• Best bowling figures in an innings: Gemma Triscari – 4/10 (2 overs) vs Sydney Thunder, 15 January 2016
• Hat-tricks taken: Gemma Triscari vs Sydney Thunder, 15 January 2016^{[43] [44]}
• Most catches (fielder): Meg Lanning – 29
• Most dismissals (wicket-keeper): Nicole Faltum – 35 (20 catches, 15 stumpings)

Source:

Individual awards

• Player of the Match:
  • Meg Lanning – 13
  • Annabel Sutherland – 4
  • Alana King, Erin Osborne, Nat Sciver – 3 each
  • Tess Flintoff, Emma Inglis, Lizelle Lee, Katie Mack – 2 each
  • Kristen Beams, Katherine Brunt, Jess Cameron, Alice Capsey, Mignon du Preez, Georgia Elwiss, Kim Garth, Danielle Hazell, Sasha Moloney, Gemma Triscari, Elyse Villani – 1 each
• WBBL Player of the Tournament: Meg Lanning – WBBL01
• WBBL Team of the Tournament:
  • Meg Lanning (3) – WBBL01, WBBL02, WBBL06
  • Kristen Beams – WBBL|02
  • Alana King – WBBL|06
  • Morna Nielsen – WBBL|01
  • Nat Sciver – WBBL|06
  • Annabel Sutherland – WBBL08
• WBBL Young Gun Award: Tess Flintoff – WBBL08

Sponsors

Year	Kit Manufacturer	Chest Sponsor	Back Sponsor	Breast Sponsor	Sleeve Sponsor
2015–16	Majestic Athletic	Rebel Sport	Antler	VicHealth	Rebel
2016–17			Optus	Yes
2017–18
2018–19		Yes
2019–20					Yes
2020–21		MG	MG	Belling	Dimplex
2021–22	Nike				Aussie Broadband

See also

• Melbourne Stars
• Hobart Hurricanes (WBBL)
• Melbourne Renegades
• Melbourne Renegades (WBBL)
• Victorian Cricket Association
• Victorian Spirit

Notes and References

1. Web site: Eight teams announced for Women's BBL. 10 December 2016.
2. Web site: Meg Lanning to captain the Stars' inaugural WBBL team. Melbourne Stars Media. 10 July 2015. Melbourne Stars. 4 January 2017.
3. Web site: Stars sign interstate duo. Melbourne Stars. en. 2020-05-17.
4. Web site: Lanning, Barty star in WBBL's first week ESPNcricinfo.com. www.espncricinfo.com. en. 2020-05-17.
5. Web site: Hesson unhappy with 'Abu Dhabi' pitch ESPNcricinfo.com. www.espncricinfo.com. en. 2020-05-18.
6. Web site: Full Scorecard of Melbourne Stars Women vs Hobart Hurricanes Women 50th Match 2016 - Score Report ESPNcricinfo.com. www.espncricinfo.com. en. 2020-05-18.
7. Web site: Full Scorecard of Hobart Hurricanes Women vs Melbourne Stars Women 52nd Match 2017 - Score Report ESPNcricinfo.com. www.espncricinfo.com. en. 2020-05-18.
8. Web site: WBBL02: The finals equation. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-05-18.
9. Web site: Hunter pulls off stunning catch. Hobart Hurricanes. en. 2020-05-18.
10. Web site: Full Scorecard of Melbourne Stars Women vs Hobart Hurricanes Women 56th Match 2017 - Score Report ESPNcricinfo.com. www.espncricinfo.com. en. 2020-05-18.
11. Web site: Renegades' soggy WBBL derby triumph over Stars. 2 January 2017. The Australian. 18 May 2020.
12. Web site: Lanning discusses the D/L method. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-05-17.
13. Web site: Sydney Thunder back on top in WBBL after win over Adelaide Strikers. Buckley. James. 2018-01-20. The Sydney Morning Herald. en. 2020-05-17.
14. Web site: Satterthwaite's six part of rapid evolution ESPNcricinfo.com. www.espncricinfo.com. en. 2020-05-17.
15. Web site: Women's Big Bash League Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2020-05-17.
16. Web site: Full Scorecard of Melbourne Stars Women vs Melbourne Renegades Women 34th Match 2018 - Score Report ESPNcricinfo.com. www.espncricinfo.com. en. 2020-05-17.
17. Web site: Women's Big Bash League - Melbourne Stars Women Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. 2021-08-23. Cricinfo.
18. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2015/16 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
19. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2015/16 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
20. Web site: State award winners announced. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-05-17.
21. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2016/17 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
22. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2016/17 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
23. Web site: Meg Lanning highlights. Melbourne Stars. en. 2020-05-17.
24. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2017/18 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
25. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2017/18 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
26. Web site: Neser, Tremain, Bailey take home top gongs. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-05-17.
27. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
28. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
29. Web site: Stoinis and King claim top honours. Melbourne Stars. en. 2020-05-17.
30. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2019/20 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-12-02.
31. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2019/20 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-12-02.
32. Web site: Stoinis and Lee take top honours. Melbourne Stars. en. 2020-05-17.
33. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2020/21 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. 2020-12-01. Cricinfo.
34. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2020/21 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. 2020-12-01. Cricinfo.
35. Web site: Zampa, Sciver take out Melbourne Stars Players of the Season awards. 2021-05-13. Melbourne Stars. en.
36. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2021/22 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. 2021-11-23. Cricinfo.
37. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2021/22 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. 2021-11-23. Cricinfo.
38. Web site: International duo headline Stars Awards . 2022-04-12 . Melbourne Stars . en.
39. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2022/23 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com . 2022-11-20 . Cricinfo.
40. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2022/23 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com . 2022-11-20 . Cricinfo.
41. Web site: Victoria . Cricket . 2023-03-29 . 2022-23 CV State and Big Bash award winners announced . 2023-04-01 . Cricket Victoria . en-US.
42. Web site: Women's Big Bash League - Melbourne Stars Women Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2020-05-17.
43. Web site: Correction: Triscari took the second hat-trick, Nicole Bolton had the first . ESPNcricinfo. 2016-01-14. @ESPNcricinfo. en. 2019-11-06.
44. Web site: WBBL01 Moments: Gemma Triscari's hat-trick. cricket.com.au. en. 2019-12-04.