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):

– 28 * Most dismissals (wicket-keeper):

– 33 (12 catches, 21 stumpings) Source:

Individual awards

* Player of the Match: **

– 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,

, Phoebe Litchfield, Smriti Mandhana,

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

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