Sydney Thunder (WBBL) explained

Sydney Thunder (WBBL)
League:	Women's Big Bash League
Captain:	Heather Knight
Coach:	Lisa Keightley
City:	Sydney
Colours:	Lime
Ground:	Blacktown ISP Oval
Ground2:	Manuka Oval, North Sydney Oval
Title1:	WBBL
Title1wins:	2 (2015–16, 2020–21)
Current:	Current season

The Sydney Thunder (WBBL) are an Australian women's Twenty20 cricket team based in Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales. They are one of two teams from Sydney to compete in the Women's Big Bash League, the other being the Sydney Sixers. The Thunder have claimed two WBBL titles, winning the league's inaugural championship and the 2020–21 title.^[1]

History

Formation

One of eight founding WBBL teams, the Sydney Thunder are aligned with the men's team of the same name.^[2] At the official WBBL launch on 10 July 2015, Rene Farrell was unveiled as the team's first-ever player signing.^[3] Joanne Broadbent was appointed as inaugural coach, while Alex Blackwell became the inaugural captain.^{[4] [5]}

The Thunder played their first game on 6 December against the Sydney Sixers at Howell Oval in Penrith, winning by nine wickets with 40 balls remaining.^[6]

Rivalries

Brisbane Heat

The Thunder have combined with the Brisbane Heat to produce several "thrillers",^{[7] [8]} including:

• 12 January 2019, Cazaly's Stadium: 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 the Heat 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.^{[9] [10] [11]}
• 19 January 2019, Drummoyne Oval: In the WBBL|04 semi-finals, the lower-ranked Heat posted a first innings total of 7/140. After struggling through the middle overs of the run chase, a late charge by the Thunder brought them 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 the Thunder. However, Heat fielder Haidee Birkett made enough ground in time to take a "miracle"^[12] catch just inside the field of play to knock the Thunder out of the tournament.^[13] 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"^[14] and "sport with drama, skill and unpredictability – a potent recipe for success".^[15]
• 20 October 2019, North Sydney Oval: Thunder batters Alex Blackwell and Phoebe Litchfield set a new WBBL record for highest fourth-wicket partnership in their pursuit of the Heat's 9/150. The unbeaten 97-run stand, which got the Thunder over the line with seven balls to spare, was noted for the 20-year age gap between the two batting partners.^[16] At 16 years and 185 days, Litchfield also set a new WBBL record as the youngest player to score a half-century.^[17]

Perth Scorchers

The Thunder and the Perth Scorchers have met in two semi-finals:

• 21 January 2016, Adelaide Oval: Defending a total of 6/118, the Thunder restricted the Scorchers to 9/110 and claimed victory by eight runs.^{[18] [19]}
• 1 February 2018, Perth Stadium: In the first innings, the Scorchers posted a total of 2/148. The Thunder were reeling by the 11th over of the run chase, having lost five wickets for just 46 runs. Fran Wilson piled on 46 runs from 28 balls late in the match but Perth, led by Emma King's 3/17, easily defended the target to win by 27 runs.^[20]

Due to a scheduling quirk, the two teams did not meet in the Thunder's home state of New South Wales until the 2020 - 21 Women's Big Bash League season (when the season was played entirely in Sydney due to uncertainty surrounding state border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic). From 2017 to 2018, five of their regular season encounters were played at Lilac Hill Park and characterised by close finishes, including:

• 7 January 2018: 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. 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.^{[21] [22]}
• 29 December 2018: 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, captain 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.^[23]

Sydney Sixers

At the WBBL|02 season launch, Thunder captain Alex Blackwell said the Sydney Sixers "desperately want to beat us and we desperately want to beat them. It's set up to be a really good rivalry."^[24] In a joint media conference ahead of WBBL|05, Sixers captain Ellyse Perry said she considers the Thunder "our biggest rivals" while the Thunder's Rachel Priest claimed "it was a really intense rivalry right when I started with the team".^[25] Noteworthy matches include:

• 24 January 2016, Melbourne Cricket Ground: Having lost their first six games of the season, the Sixers stormed into the WBBL|01 final by winning nine consecutive matches.^[26] Their streak would come to an end in a low-scoring championship decider plagued by "probably the worst fielding seen all tournament"^[27] from both teams. Ultimately the Thunder scraped home by three wickets with three balls remaining to claim the inaugural Women's Big Bash title. Erin Osborne earned Player of the Final honours for her bowling figures of 3/21 off four overs.^[28]
• 14 January 2017, Sydney Cricket Ground: Defending a first innings total of 138, Sixers off-spinner Lauren Smith conceded seven runs in the last over to tie the game. With scores still level after the subsequent super over, the Thunder were awarded the win on the boundary count back rule. Despite the intense rivalry between the two teams, the match was noted for a sporting gesture by Thunder captain Alex Blackwell who, suspecting she interfered with the batter, withdrew an appeal that would have led to the dismissal of the Sixers' Sara McGlashan.^[29]
• 15 November 2019, Drummoyne Oval: The Sixers cruised to a comfortable 40-run victory, having also defeated the Thunder by 49 runs in the season opener—Perry top-scoring with 81 on both occasions. This marked the first time either team would sweep their fellow Sydneysiders in the regular season.^{[30] [31] [32] [33]}

Captaincy records

There have been three captains in the Thunder's history, including matches featuring an acting captain.

Captain	Span		Won	Lost	Tied
Alex Blackwell	2015–2019	60	36	23	0	1	61.02
Rachael Haynes	2019–2022	42	15	22	0	5	38.46
Hannah Darlington	2021	13	4	8	0	1	33.33

Source:^[34]

Season summaries

Season			Finals	Coach	Captain	Most Runs	Most Wickets		Refs
2015–16	9–5*	1st*	C		Alex Blackwell	Alex Blackwell – 410	Rene Farrell – 26*	Stafanie Taylor	^[35] ^[36] ^[37]
2016–17	6–7	6th	DNQ	Joanne Broadbent	Alex Blackwell	Alex Blackwell – 386	Nicola Carey – 14	Harmanpreet Kaur	^[38] ^[39] ^[40]
2017–18		2nd	SF	Joanne Broadbent	Alex Blackwell		Carey, Farrell – 17	Rachael Haynes	^[41] ^[42] ^[43]
2018–19	9–4	2nd	SF	Joanne Broadbent	Alex Blackwell	Rachael Haynes – 376	Stafanie Taylor – 19	Rachel Priest	^[44] ^[45] ^[46]
	5–8	6th	DNQ	Trevor Griffin		Alex Blackwell – 317		Hannah Darlington	^[47] ^[48] ^[49]
	7–5	3rd	C	Trevor Griffin		Heather Knight – 446		Heather Knight	^[50] ^[51] ^[52]
	4–8	7th	DNQ	Trevor Griffin			Hannah Darlington – 16	Smriti Mandhana	^[53] ^[54] ^[55]
		8th	DNQ	Trevor Griffin	Rachael Haynes		Samantha Bates – 12	Phoebe Litchfield	^[56] ^[57] ^[58]

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
Bankstown Oval	–	–	–	1	1	–	N/A	–	2
Blacktown ISP Oval	–	4	–	1	1	2		3	11
Drummoyne Oval	–	–	–	1	2	2		–	5
Howell Oval	1	2	1	–	–	–		–	4
Hurstville Oval	–	–	–	–	–	2		–	2
Lavington Sports Ground	–	1	1	–	–	–		–	2
Manuka Oval	–	–	1	1	1	–		1	4
North Dalton Park	–	–	–	–	1	–		–	1
North Sydney Oval	–	1	2	1	1	3		2	10
Robertson Oval	–	–	2	–	–	–		–	2
Sydney Showground Stadium	1	1	–	3	–	6		–	11
University Oval No. 1	1	–	–	–	–	–		–	1

Players

Australian representatives

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

Associate rookies

Statistics and awards

Team stats

• Champions: 2 – WBBL01, WBBL06
• Runners-up: 0
• Minor premiers

1 – WBBL01

• Win–loss record:

Opposition		Won	Lost	Tied
Adelaide Strikers	15	6	8	0	1	42.86
Brisbane Heat	18	8	10	0	0	44.44
Hobart Hurricanes	15	10	5	0	0	66.67
Melbourne Renegades	16	9	7	0	0	56.25
Melbourne Stars	17	9	4	0	4	69.23
Perth Scorchers	18	7	10	0	1	41.18
Sydney Sixers	16	6	9	0	1	40.00
Total	115	55	53	0	7	50.93

• Highest score in an innings: 6/200 (20 overs) vs Melbourne Renegades, 9 December 2017
• Highest successful chase: 4/156 (17.2 overs) vs Hobart Hurricanes, 21 December 2018
• Lowest successful defence: 9/104 (20 overs) vs Melbourne Stars, 17 January 2016
• Largest victory:
  • Batting first: 58 runs vs Adelaide Strikers, 31 October 2020
  • Batting second: 50 balls remaining vs Melbourne Renegades, 27 December 2016
• Longest winning streak: 5 matches
• Longest losing streak: 6 matches

Source:^[59]

Individual stats

• Most runs: Rachael Haynes – 2,142
• Highest score in an innings: Smriti Mandhana – 114 (64) vs Melbourne Renegades, 17 November 2021
• Highest partnership: Smriti Mandhana and Tahlia Wilson – 125 vs Melbourne Renegades, 17 November 2021
• Most wickets: Samantha Bates – 95
• Best bowling figures in an innings: Lauren Smith – 5/17 (4 overs) vs Perth Scorchers, 22 October 2022

• Most catches (fielder): Phoebe Litchfield – 28
• Most dismissals (wicket-keeper): Rachel Priest – 33 (12 catches, 21 stumpings)

Source:

Individual awards

• Player of the Match:
  • Stafanie Taylor – 8
  • Alex Blackwell – 7
  • Samantha Bates, Rene Farrell, Rachael Haynes – 4 each
  • Shabnim Ismail, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Heather Knight, Naomi Stalenberg – 3 each
  • Nicola Carey, Harmanpreet Kaur, Rachel Priest – 2 each
  • Lauren Cheatle, Hannah Darlington, Lisa Griffith, Phoebe Litchfield, Smriti Mandhana, Erin Osborne, Deepti Sharma, Lauren Smith, Belinda Vakarewa, Issy Wong – 1 each

• WBBL Team of the Tournament:
  • Hannah Darlington (2) – WBBL06, WBBL07
  • Rene Farrell (2) – WBBL01, WBBL03
  • Alex Blackwell – WBBL|01
  • Stafanie Taylor – WBBL04
  • Samantha Bates – WBBL|06
  • Heather Knight – WBBL|06
• WBBL Young Gun Award:
  • Lauren Cheatle – WBBL01
  • Hannah Darlington – WBBL05
  • Phoebe Litchfield – WBBL07

Sponsors

Year	Kit Manufacturer	Chest Sponsor	Back Sponsor	Breast Sponsor	Sleeve Sponsor
2015–16	Majestic Athletic	Rebel	XVenture	XVenture	Rebel
2016–17			Homeworld	Mazda
2017–18
2018–19		Mazda	Amart Furniture	Homeworld
2019–20			Ring.com
2020–21			Chamberlain		Chamberlain
2021–22	Nike	Chamberlain	Homeworld		What's Your Plan B?

See also

• Cricket in New South Wales
• Cricket NSW
• New South Wales Breakers
• Sydney Sixers (WBBL)

Notes and References

1. News: Lemon . Geoff . WBBL 2020 final: Sydney Thunder stun Melbourne Stars – as it happened . 28 November 2020 . The Guardian . Guardian News & Media Limited . 28 November 2020.
2. Web site: Eight teams announced for Women's BBL. 10 December 2016.
3. Web site: Major signings unveiled at WBBL launch. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-05-16.
4. Web site: Jo Broadbent to coach the Sydney Thunder in WBBL01. Sydney Thunder. en. 2020-05-16.
5. Web site: WBBL: All you need to know. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-05-16.
6. Web site: Lanning, Barty star in WBBL's first week ESPNcricinfo.com. www.espncricinfo.com. en. 2020-05-16.
7. Web site: Heat triumph in semi-final thriller. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-05-03.
8. Web site: Thrilling finishes headline action-packed WBBL Sunday. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-05-03.
9. Web site: Thunder lose out in Cairns thriller. Sydney Thunder. en. 2020-04-30.
10. Web site: Mooney peaks at perfect time. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-04-30.
11. Web site: Mooney smashes ton as Heat beat Thunder. Brisbane Heat. en. 2020-04-30.
12. Web site: ‘Unbelievable’ Aussie cricket madness. 2019-01-19. NewsComAu. en. 2020-04-30.
13. Web site: Nothing fake about Birkett's heroic catch. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-04-30.
14. News: Maurice. Megan. 2019-01-20. Women's cricket the winner in WBBL semis. en-GB. The Guardian. 2020-04-30. 0261-3077.
15. Web site: Given a Fairbreak, the WBBL has shown its true value. Lawson. Geoff. 2019-01-26. The Sydney Morning Herald. en. 2020-04-30.
16. Web site: Recent Match Report - Brisbane Heat Women vs Sydney Thunder Women 6th Match 2019 ESPNcricinfo.com. www.espncricinfo.com. en. 2020-05-03.
17. Web site: A star is born as teenager Litchfield schools the Heat. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-05-03.
18. Web site: Full Scorecard of Sydney Thunder Women vs Perth Scorchers Women 1st Semi-Final 2016 - Score Report ESPNcricinfo.com. www.espncricinfo.com. en. 2020-05-12.
19. Web site: Rookies punch above their weight in Thunders' triumph ESPNcricinfo.com. www.espncricinfo.com. en. 2020-05-12.
20. Web site: Recent Match Report - Perth Scorchers Women vs Sydney Thunder Women 1st Semi-Final 2018 ESPNcricinfo.com. www.espncricinfo.com. en. 2020-05-12.
21. Web site: Full Scorecard of Sydney Thunder Women vs Perth Scorchers Women 29th Match 2018 - Score Report ESPNcricinfo.com. www.espncricinfo.com. en. 2020-05-12.
22. Web site: Scorchers stun Thunder at WACA. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-05-12.
23. Web site: Scorchers Create History in Thrilling Win. Perth Scorchers. en. 2020-05-12.
24. Web site: Women's Big Bash League: Teammates become rivals ahead of WBBL. Houlbrook-Walk. Myles. 2016-12-09. The Sydney Morning Herald. en. 2020-04-26.
25. Web site: 'An incredible opportunity': Perry primed for derby to start WBBL. Weir. Ben. 2019-10-17. The Sydney Morning Herald. en. 2020-04-26.
26. Web site: Match Preview - Sydney Sixers Women vs Sydney Thunder Women, Women's Big Bash League 2016, Final ESPNcricinfo.com. ESPNcricinfo. en. 2020-04-26.
27. Web site: Thunder claim the first WBBL title. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-04-26.
28. Web site: WBBL final: Sydney Thunder Claim Big Bash Win Over Sydney Sixers . The Australian. 2020-04-26.
29. Web site: Spirit of cricket alive and well in WBBL. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-04-26.
30. Web site: Recent Match Report - Sydney Sixers Women vs Sydney Thunder Women, Women's Big Bash League, 1st Match ESPNcricinfo.com. ESPNcricinfo. en. 2020-04-26.
31. Web site: Perry shines with bat and ball as Sixers cruise. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-04-26.
32. Web site: Perry on song as Sixers smash Thunder. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-04-26.
33. Web site: Perry shines as Sixers smash Thunder in WBBL derby fizzer. Rugari. Vince. 2019-11-15. The Sydney Morning Herald. en. 2020-04-26.
34. Web site: Women's Big Bash League - Sydney Thunder Women Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. 2021-08-23. Cricinfo.
35. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2015/16 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
36. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2015/16 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
37. Web site: State award winners announced. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-05-16.
38. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2016/17 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
39. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2016/17 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
40. Web site: Ed Cowan and Alyssa Healy Cricket NSW Medal winners. Cricket NSW. en. 2020-05-16.
41. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2017/18 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
42. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2017/18 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
43. Web site: Perry and Hughes win major Cricket NSW awards. Cricket NSW. en. 2020-05-16.
44. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
45. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-10-21.
46. Web site: Abbott and Perry win major Cricket NSW awards. Cricket NSW. en. 2020-05-16.
47. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2019/20 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-12-02.
48. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2019/20 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2019-12-02.
49. Web site: Darlington wins Alex Blackwell Medal. Sydney Thunder. en. 2020-05-16.
50. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2020/21 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. 2020-12-01. Cricinfo.
51. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2020/21 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. 2020-12-01. Cricinfo.
52. Web site: Haynes and Abbott win top Cricket NSW gongs. 2021-04-23. Cricket NSW. en.
53. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2021/22 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. 2021-11-29. Cricinfo.
54. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2021/22 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. 2021-11-29. Cricinfo.
55. Web site: Tremain and Brown shine at Cricket NSW Awards . 2022-04-08 . Cricket NSW . en.
56. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2022/23 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com . 2022-11-20 . Cricinfo.
57. Web site: Women's Big Bash League, 2022/23 Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com . 2022-11-20 . Cricinfo.
58. Web site: Hughes and Gardner win major CNSW Awards . 2023-04-07 . Cricket NSW . en.
59. Web site: Women's Big Bash League - Sydney Thunder Women Cricket Team Records & Stats ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 2020-05-16.