The Sydney Thunder (WBBL) are an Australian women's
Twenty20 cricket team based in
Sydney Olympic Park
Sydney Olympic Park is a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, located 13 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Parramatta Council. It is commonly known as Olympic Park but officially na ...
,
New South Wales. They are one of two teams from
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
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.
History
Formation
One of eight founding WBBL teams, the Sydney Thunder are aligned with the
men's team of the same name.
At the official WBBL launch on 10 July 2015,
Rene Farrell was unveiled as the team's first-ever player signing.
Joanne Broadbent
Joanne Broadbent (born 29 November 1965) is an Australian former cricketer who played as an all-rounder, batting left-handed and bowling left-arm medium. She appeared in 10 Test matches and 60 One Day Internationals for Australia between 199 ...
was appointed as inaugural coach, while
Alex Blackwell became the inaugural
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
.
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.
Rivalries
Brisbane Heat
The Thunder have combined with the
Brisbane Heat to produce several "thrillers",
including:
*
12 January 2019,
Cazaly's Stadium
Cazalys Stadium is a sports stadium in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. It is situated in the suburb of Westcourt. The stadium is named after the social club which abuts the oval, Cazalys, which itself was named after Australian rules footballe ...
: Responding to the Thunder's first innings total of 7/171, Heat opener
Beth Mooney
Bethany Louise Mooney (born 14 January 1994) is an Australian professional cricketer who plays for the national cricket team as a batter in all three formats of the game. At the domestic level, she plays as a wicket-keeper-batter for Western ...
recorded her maiden WBBL
century
A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c.
A centennial or ...
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
Delissa Maree Kimmince (born 14 May 1989) is an Australian former cricketer and Australian rules footballer who played for the national cricket team as an all-rounder. She is a right-handed batter and right-arm fast-medium bowler who played fo ...
, scored 13 runs off the over to swing the momentum once more.
Laura Harris
Laura Harris is a Canadian actress.
Early life
Harris is the daughter of schoolteachers. She began acting in radio dramas and animation series when she was five years old. As a child Harris was educated at Crofton House School and attended co ...
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.
*
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
In cricket, the boundary is the perimeter of a playing field. It is also the term given to a scoring shot where the ball is hit to, or beyond, that perimeter, which generally earns four or six runs for the batting team.
Edge of the field
The ...
, 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" catch just inside the field of play to knock the Thunder out of the tournament. 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" and "sport with drama, skill and unpredictability – a potent recipe for success".
*
20 October 2019,
North Sydney Oval: Thunder batters
Alex Blackwell and
Phoebe Litchfield
Phoebe Litchfield (born 18 April 2003) is an Australian cricketer who plays as a left-handed batter and occasional right-arm leg break bowler. She plays for the New South Wales Breakers in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) and the Sydn ...
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. At 16 years and 185 days, Litchfield also set a new WBBL record as the youngest player to score a half-century.
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.
*
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
Frances Claire Wilson (born 7 November 1991) is an English cricketer. A right handed batter and right arm off break bowler, she was born in Farnham in Surrey and plays for Gloucestershire, Western Storm and Welsh Fire. She previously played ...
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.
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
Lisa Griffith is an Australian cricketer who plays as a right-handed batter and right-arm medium pace bowler. She made her professional debut for the New South Wales Breakers in the 2010–11 Women's National Cricket League before taking a fi ...
dismissed
Nicole Bolton
Nicole Elizabeth Bolton is an Australian cricketer who plays as a left-handed batter and right-arm off break bowler for Australia and Sydney Sixers.
Early life and education
Bolton was born in Subiaco, an inner western suburb of Perth, where ...
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.
*
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
Stafanie Roxann Taylor (born 11 June 1991) is a Jamaican cricketer who is a former captain of the West Indies women's cricket team. She has represented them over 250 times since her debut in 2008. A right-handed batter and off break bowler, Ta ...
(which included 21 runs off the 18th over against the bowling of
Taneale Peschel
Taneale Christy Jane Peschel (born 29 August 1994) is an Australian cricketer who plays as a right-arm medium pace bowler and right-handed batter for Western Australia in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) and the Perth Scorchers in th ...
, 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
Elyse Jayne Villani (born 6 October 1989) is an Australian cricketer who played for the Australia national women's team from 2009 to 2019. She has also played domestic cricket for various teams in both the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) ...
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.
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." 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
Rachel Holly Priest (born 13 June 1985 in New Plymouth, Taranaki) is a New Zealand cricketer who plays as a wicket-keeper and right-handed batter. She played for New Zealand between 2007 and 2020.
Career
Domestic and franchise
In May 2018, ...
claimed "it was a really intense rivalry right when I started with the team". Noteworthy matches include:
*
24 January 2016,
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...
: Having lost their first six games of the season, the Sixers stormed into the WBBL, 01 final by winning nine consecutive matches. Their streak would come to an end in a low-scoring championship decider plagued by "probably the worst fielding seen all tournament" 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
Erin Alyse Osborne (born 27 June 1989) is an Australian former cricketer and current cricket coach and commentator, who appeared in 2 Test matches, 60 One Day Internationals and 59 Twenty20 Internationals for Australia between 2009 and 2016. ...
earned Player of the Final honours for her bowling figures of 3/21 off four overs.
*
14 January 2017,
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...
: 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
In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...
that would have led to the
dismissal
Dismissal or dismissed may refer to:
Dismissal
*In litigation, a dismissal is the result of a successful ''motion to dismiss''. See motion
*Termination of employment, the end of employee's duration with an employer
**Dismissal (employment), ter ...
of the Sixers'
Sara McGlashan
Sara Jade McGlashan (born 28 March 1982) is a New Zealand former cricketer who played as a right-handed batter and wicket-keeper. She appeared in 2 Test matches, 134 One Day Internationals and 76 Twenty20 Internationals for New Zealand between 2 ...
.
*
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.
Captaincy records
There have been three
captains
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in the Thunder's history, including matches featuring an acting captain.
Source:
Season summaries
Home grounds
Players
Current squad
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):
Overseas marquees
Associate rookies
Statistics and awards
Team stats
*Champions: 2 –
WBBL01,
WBBL06
*Runners-up: 0
*
Minor premiers: 1 –
WBBL01
* Win–loss record:
* 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
The Hobart Hurricanes are an Australian professional men's T20 franchise cricket team based in Tasmania, Australia. They compete in Australia's domestic T20 cricket competition known as the Big Bash League, which is a league where many in ...
, 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:
Individual stats
* Most runs:
Rachael Haynes – 2,142
* Highest score in an innings:
Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Shriniwas Mandhana ( ; born 18 July 1996) is an Indian cricketer who represents the Indian women's national team. She plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Women's Premier League (WPL). In domestic cricket, she represents the Mah ...
– 114
* (64) vs Melbourne Renegades, 17 November 2021
* Highest partnership: Smriti Mandhana and
Tahlia Wilson
Tahlia Beverly Wilson (born 21 October 1999) is an Australian cricketer who plays for the New South Wales Breakers in the Women's National Cricket League
The Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) is the national domestic 50-over competiti ...
– 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
Phoebe Litchfield (born 18 April 2003) is an Australian cricketer who plays as a left-handed batter and occasional right-arm leg break bowler. She plays for the New South Wales Breakers in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) and the Sydn ...
– 28
* Most dismissals (wicket-keeper):
Rachel Priest
Rachel Holly Priest (born 13 June 1985 in New Plymouth, Taranaki) is a New Zealand cricketer who plays as a wicket-keeper and right-handed batter. She played for New Zealand between 2007 and 2020.
Career
Domestic and franchise
In May 2018, ...
– 33 (12 catches, 21 stumpings)
Source:
Individual awards
* Player of the Match:
**
Stafanie Taylor
Stafanie Roxann Taylor (born 11 June 1991) is a Jamaican cricketer who is a former captain of the West Indies women's cricket team. She has represented them over 250 times since her debut in 2008. A right-handed batter and off break bowler, Ta ...
– 8
**
Alex Blackwell – 7
** Samantha Bates,
Rene Farrell, Rachael Haynes – 4 each
**
Shabnim Ismail
Shabnim Ismail (born 5 October 1988) is a South African cricketer who made her debut for the national women's team in January 2007. A right-arm fast bowler, Ismail is South Africa's all-time leading wicket-taker in both the One Day Internatio ...
,
Sammy-Jo Johnson
Sammy-Jo Johnson (born 5 November 1992) is an Australian cricketer who plays as a right-arm medium-fast bowler and right-handed batter for New South Wales Breakers in the Women's National Cricket League and Sydney Thunder in the Women's Big Bas ...
, Heather Knight, Naomi Stalenberg – 3 each
**
Nicola Carey,
Harmanpreet Kaur, Rachel Priest – 2 each
**
Lauren Cheatle
Lauren Roma Cheatle (born 6 November 1998) is an Australian cricketer who plays as a left-arm fast-medium bowler and left-handed batter. She plays domestic cricket for New South Wales in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) and the Sydn ...
,
Hannah Darlington,
Lisa Griffith
Lisa Griffith is an Australian cricketer who plays as a right-handed batter and right-arm medium pace bowler. She made her professional debut for the New South Wales Breakers in the 2010–11 Women's National Cricket League before taking a fi ...
, Phoebe Litchfield, Smriti Mandhana,
Erin Osborne
Erin Alyse Osborne (born 27 June 1989) is an Australian former cricketer and current cricket coach and commentator, who appeared in 2 Test matches, 60 One Day Internationals and 59 Twenty20 Internationals for Australia between 2009 and 2016. ...
,
Deepti Sharma
Deepti Bhagwan Sharma (born 24 August 1997) is an Indian cricketer who plays for Bengal, Birmingham Phoenix and India. She is an all-rounder who bats left-handed and bowls right-arm off break and is currently ranked 3rd in the top all-rounders ...
, Lauren Smith,
Belinda Vakarewa
Belinda Waimakare Vakarewa (born 22 January 1998) is an Australian cricketer from Griffith, New South Wales. She plays as a fast bowler for the Sydney Thunder in the Women's Big Bash League. Vakarewa has also made one international appearance f ...
,
Issy Wong
Isabelle Eleanor Chih Ming Wong (born 15 May 2002) is an English cricketer who currently plays for Warwickshire, Central Sparks, Birmingham Phoenix, Mumbai Indians and England as a fast-medium bowler. She has previously played for Southern Vipe ...
– 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
See also
*
Cricket in New South Wales
Cricket has been played in New South Wales since the 19th century and is traditionally very popular sport. It is also the most popular summer sport of the state.
The New South Wales Cricket Association is the state's cricket governing body.
The m ...
*
Cricket NSW
Cricket NSW (officially known as the ''New South Wales Cricket Association'') is an Australian sporting association that administers cricket in New South Wales. It is based at the Sydney Olympic Park. The New South Wales Blues, the New South Wa ...
*
New South Wales Breakers
The New South Wales Women cricket team, also known as the New South Wales Breakers, is the women's representative cricket team for the Australian State of New South Wales. They play most of their home games at North Sydney Oval and they also us ...
*
Sydney Sixers (WBBL)
The Sydney Sixers (WBBL) are an Australian women's Twenty20 cricket team based in Moore Park, New South Wales, Moore 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 Sy ...
References
Notes
External links
*
{{Sydney Sports Teams
Women's Big Bash League teams
Cricket in New South Wales
Sports teams in Sydney
Cricket clubs established in 2015
2015 establishments in Australia