The 2021–22 Women's Big Bash League season or WBBL, 07 was the seventh season of the
Women's Big Bash League
The Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) also known as Weber WBBL for sponsorship reasons, is the Australian professional Women's Twenty20 Cricket league. The WBBL replaced the Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup, which ran from the 2007–08 season ...
(WBBL), the semi-professional
women's
A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl.
Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional uteruses ...
Twenty20
Twenty20 (abbreviated T20) is a shortened format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the county cricket, inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two t ...
domestic cricket competition in Australia. The tournament was played from 14 October to 27 November 2021.
The
Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder is an Australian franchise professional cricket team, competing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League. Along with the Sydney Sixers, the Thunder is the successor to the Speed Blitz Blues, ...
entered the season as the defending champions, having won their second title in
WBBL06, but failed to qualify for the
knockout stage
A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
.
In the
championship decider, played at
Perth Stadium
Perth Stadium, commercially known as Optus Stadium due to sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Burswood, Western Australia, Burswood suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It was completed during late 2017 and officially opened ...
, the
Perth Scorchers
The Perth Scorchers are an Australian men's professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that competes in the Big Bash League. The Scorchers wear an orange uniform and are based in Perth in the Australian state of Western Australia. Their home gr ...
defeated the
Adelaide Strikers
The Adelaide Strikers are an Australian professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia that compete in the Big Bash League (BBL).Cricket Australia (n.d), Teams and Players, Cricket Australia, accessed 1 Decemb ...
by 12 runs.
Marizanne Kapp
Marizanne Kapp ( , ; born 4 January 1990) is a South African international cricketer who plays for South Africa national women's cricket team. She was the first female cricketer to take a hat-trick in a T20 match for South Africa.
Career
In ...
was named Player of the Final for her influential all-round performance, scoring 31
* off 23 deliveries and producing bowling figures of 1/25 from four overs to help the Scorchers claim their maiden WBBL title.
Indian marquee
Harmanpreet Kaur
Harmanpreet Kaur ( ; born 8 March 1989) is an Indian cricketer who captains the India women's national team in all formats. She plays as an all-rounder. In 2018, she became the first woman for India to score a century in a T20 International m ...
was named
Player of the Tournament in her first season with the
Melbourne Renegades
Melbourne Renegades are an Australian professional men's Twenty20 franchise cricket club based in Melbourne, the capital city of the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. They compete in the Australian Twenty20 cricket competit ...
, marking the first time the award was not won by a player from Australia or New Zealand.
Teams
Each squad was made up of 15 active players. Teams could sign up to five 'marquee players', with a maximum of three of those from overseas. Marquees were defined as any overseas player, or a local player who holds a
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA) is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Cricket'. It is incorporated as an Australian Public Company ...
national contract at the start of the WBBL, 07 signing period.
Due to state border restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, Cricket Australia announced there would be no WBBL, 07 matches played in
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
and
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India
* Victoria (state), a state of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital
* Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
. Consequently, half of the league's teams (the
Melbourne Renegades
Melbourne Renegades are an Australian professional men's Twenty20 franchise cricket club based in Melbourne, the capital city of the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. They compete in the Australian Twenty20 cricket competit ...
,
Melbourne Stars
Melbourne Stars are an Australian Twenty20 franchise cricket team, based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in Australia's Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League. The Stars wear a green uniform and play their home matches at the Melbou ...
,
Sydney Sixers
The Sydney Sixers is an Australian professional franchise men's cricket team, competing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League (BBL). Along with the Sydney Thunder, the Sixers are the successors of the Spee ...
and
Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder is an Australian franchise professional cricket team, competing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League. Along with the Sydney Sixers, the Thunder is the successor to the Speed Blitz Blues, ...
) were unable to host home games for the season. Due to renovation works on their regular primary ground at
Allan Border Field
Allan Border Field is a cricket ground in the Brisbane suburb of Albion in Queensland. The Australian Cricket Academy has been based at the oval since 2004, using it as a base for the development of elite cricketers throughout Australia.
It ...
, the
Brisbane Heat
The Brisbane Heat are an Australian professional franchise men's and women's cricket team, competing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League (BBL). The Heat are the successors of the Queensland Bulls who playe ...
played home games in
Mackay for the season.
The table below lists each team's marquee players and other key details for the season.
Personnel changes
Local players
The table below lists local player movements made ahead of the season.
Overseas players
On 26 September 2021, the
Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder is an Australian franchise professional cricket team, competing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League. Along with the Sydney Sixers, the Thunder is the successor to the Speed Blitz Blues, ...
announced the signings of overseas marquees
Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana (born 18 July 1996) is an Indian international cricketer and the vice-captain of the India women's national cricket team, national team. She is third on the list of list of cricketers by number of international centuries scored#Wo ...
and
Deepti Sharma
Deepti Sharma (born 24 August 1997) is an Indian cricketer who plays for Uttar Pradesh, UP Warriorz, London Spirit, Melbourne Stars and India. She is an all-rounder who bats left-handed and bowls right-arm off break. As of 2018, she was ranke ...
, meaning WBBL, 07 would feature Indian players in the league for the first time since the
2018–19 season.
The table below lists changes to overseas player allocations made ahead of the season.
Leadership
Coaching changes made ahead of the season included:
*
Simon Helmot
Simon Helmot (born 12 February 1972) is an Australian cricket coach, who was formerly the coach of the Melbourne Renegades.
Simon Helmot began his coaching career early, taking the reins of the Hawthorn-Monash University Cricket Club in Melb ...
was appointed head coach of the Melbourne Renegades, replacing
Lachlan Stevens
Lachlan McRae Stevens (born 31 December 1978) is an Australian former cricketer and current cricket coach. He played as a left-handed batsman for South Australia and Queensland. He is currently the batting and assistant coach at Somerset, and ha ...
.
* Jarrad Loughman was appointed head coach of the Melbourne Stars, replacing Trent Woodhill.
* On 2 July 2021, the Sydney Sixers announced two-time championship coach
Ben Sawyer
Ben Sawyer (born 1978/79) is an Australian cricket coach, who is the current head coach of the New Zealand women's national cricket team. He has previous been head coach of Birmingham Phoenix women's team in The Hundred, Royal Challengers Ba ...
would not return for WBBL, 07, having instead taken on a full-time assistant role for the
Australian national women's team. However, on 27 July, it was revealed
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA) is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Cricket'. It is incorporated as an Australian Public Company ...
agreed to allow Sawyer to coach the Sixers for a seventh and final season.
Captaincy
A captaincy ( , , ) is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish colonies, Spanish and Portuguese colonies, Portuguese colonial empires. It was instituted as a method of organization, directly associated with the home-rule admin ...
changes made ahead of the season included:
*
Sophie Molineux
Sophie Grace Molineux (born 17 January 1998) is an Australian cricketer from Bairnsdale, Victoria. A left-arm orthodox bowling all-rounder, Molineux has been a member of the national women's team since 2018. At domestic level, she currently pla ...
was appointed captain of the Melbourne Renegades, replacing
Amy Satterthwaite
Amy Ella Satterthwaite (born 7 October 1986) is a New Zealand former cricketer who played as an all-rounder, batting left-handed and bowling either right-arm medium or off break. She appeared in 145 One Day Internationals and 111 Twenty20 In ...
(
17–23 win–loss record).
*
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, ...
was appointed captain of the
Hobart Hurricanes
Hobart Hurricanes are an Australian professional men's Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Hobart, Tasmania. They compete in Australia's domestic Big Bash League. The Hurricanes play the majority of their home matches at Ninja Stadium ...
, replacing
Corinne Hall
Corinne Louise Hall (born 12 October 1987) is an Australian former cricketer who played as a right-handed batter and occasional right-arm off break bowler. She played for New South Wales, Tasmanian Tigers, Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Thunder ...
(
7–27 win–loss record).
*After
Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder is an Australian franchise professional cricket team, competing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League. Along with the Sydney Sixers, the Thunder is the successor to the Speed Blitz Blues, ...
captain
Rachael Haynes
Rachael Louise Haynes (born 26 December 1986) is an Australian former international cricketer who has won six world championships as a member of the national women's team. A left-handed batter, Haynes was vice-captain of Australia from 2017 to ...
announced she would be unlikely to participate in the season due to family reasons,
Hannah Darlington was appointed to stand in as Haynes' replacement.
*
Tahlia McGrath
Tahlia May McGrath (born 10 November 1995) is an Australian international cricketer who is the vice-captain of the Australia women's national cricket team. She made her Women's One Day International cricket (WODI) debut South Africa women's cri ...
was appointed captain of the
Adelaide Strikers
The Adelaide Strikers are an Australian professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia that compete in the Big Bash League (BBL).Cricket Australia (n.d), Teams and Players, Cricket Australia, accessed 1 Decemb ...
, replacing
Suzie Bates
Suzannah Wilson Bates (born 16 September 1987) is a New Zealand cricketer and former captain of national women cricket team. Born in Dunedin, she plays domestic cricket for the Otago Sparks, as well as for the White Ferns. She currently holds t ...
(
24–21 win–loss record).
Media coverage
Coverage of the league received a boost from the previous season with subscription channel
Fox Cricket
Fox Cricket is an Australian subscription television channel dedicated to screening cricket (both domestic and international) matches and related programming. It is owned by Fox Sports Pty Limited and is available throughout Australia on Foxtel. ...
broadcasting an additional 23 matches, marking the first time every match would be televised.
Seven Network
Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
would again broadcast 24 matches on free-to-air television, while the remaining 35 matches were free to stream live on cricket.com.au and the Cricket Australia Live app. All 59 matches were also available to watch live and on-demand via
Kayo Sports
Kayo Sports is an Australian over-the-top video streaming service owned by Hubbl, a subsidiary of Foxtel. Launched in November 2018, the service is oriented towards sports, carrying live and on-demand content from Foxtel's Fox Sports networks ...
.
Points table
Win–loss table
Below is a summary of results for each team's fourteen regular season matches, plus finals where applicable, in chronological order. A team's opponent for any given match is listed above the margin of victory/defeat.
Fixtures
As per all previous seasons, WBBL, 07 featured a 56-match double
round-robin, followed by a finals series featuring the top four qualifiers.
The original fixture was released on 8 July 2021, with Cricket Australia (CA) noting the schedule was subject to any changes that may be required in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 16 September, CA announced the opening fortnight of the competition would be shifted to
Tasmania
Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
. 20 games featuring all eight teams were scheduled to be played at three venues, beginning with
Blundstone Arena
Bellerive Oval, currently known as Ninja Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a cricket oval and Australian rules football ground located in Bellerive, a suburb on the eastern shore of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. With a combination of seatin ...
in
Hobart
Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
before moving to
University of Tasmania Stadium
York Park is a sports ground in the Inveresk and York Park Precinct, Launceston, Australia. Holding 21,000 people, York Park is known commercially as University of Tasmania (UTAS) Stadium and was formerly known as Aurora Stadium under a previo ...
and its neighbouring Invermay Park in
Launceston. On 7 October, CA revealed the revised schedule for the remaining 36 regular season games, which consisted of blocks of matches in
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, Launceston,
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
and
Mackay.
On 8 November, CA confirmed the
last week of the regular season (November 17–21) would be the inaugural WBBL First Nations Round, intending to mark the league's commitment to deepening education and meaningful connection with
Indigenous People
There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
of Australia. During the round, teams wore Indigenous kits designed by
Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islanders
Torres Strait Islanders ( ) are the Indigenous Melanesians, Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal peoples of the res ...
artists, and observed
Welcome to Country
A Welcome to Country is a ritual or formal ceremony performed as a land acknowledgement at many events held in Australia. It is an event intended to highlight the cultural significance of the surrounding area to the descendants of a particular A ...
and
smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance is combusted, and the resulting smoke is typically inhaled to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream of a person. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, whi ...
ceremonies.
Week 1
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Week 3
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Week 4
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Week 5
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Week 6
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Knockout phase
On 7 September 2021, Cricket Australia announced the WBBL would use a new playoffs format for the 2021–22 season.
The WBBL, 07 knockout phase would again feature the four highest-ranked teams at the conclusion of the regular season, though it would begin with an 'Eliminator' between the third and fourth seeds. The winner of the Eliminator would then play the second seed in the 'Challenger'. Both the Eliminator and Challenger matches would be played at the home ground of the second seed.
[ The first seed would automatically qualify for the championship decider, simply known as the 'Final', with home ground advantage against the winner of the Challenger.
Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia's General Manager of Big Bash Leagues, said "the League views the Final as a marquee moment in the summer" and the highest-ranked qualifier will not only "have a guaranteed path to the Final, they'll also have the backing of a strong home crowd, with fans given more time to secure their ticket to the Final".
]Perth Stadium
Perth Stadium, commercially known as Optus Stadium due to sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Burswood, Western Australia, Burswood suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It was completed during late 2017 and officially opened ...
was selected as the venue for the Final after the Perth Scorchers finished the regular season on top of the points table. The second-placed Melbourne Renegades selected Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a stadium in Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Parklands, parklands. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby league, ...
as the venue for the Eliminator and Challenger due to border restrictions preventing matches from being played in their home state of Victoria.
Eliminator
Challenger
Final
Background
Ending the regular season on top of the points table, the Perth Scorchers qualified for their third championship decider. They previously finished as runners-up in WBBL02 and WBBL03, losing to the Sydney Sixers on both occasions. Coach Shelley Nitschke
Shelley Nitschke (born 3 December 1976) is a female cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. A left-handed batter and left arm orthodox spinner, she was one of the leading all-rounders in the world until her retirement in 2011. In ...
, considered a legend of South Australian cricket, and captain Sophie Devine
Sophie Frances Monique Devine (born 1 September 1989) is a New Zealand sportswoman, who has represented New Zealand in both cricket for the New Zealand national women's cricket team (''White Ferns''), and in field hockey as a member of the Ne ...
each played for the Adelaide Strikers in the league's inaugural and subsequent seasons before joining the Scorchers in WBBL, 06.
After emphatic victories in the Eliminator and Challenger, the Adelaide Strikers qualified for their second championship decider. They previously finished as runners-up in WBBL05, losing the final which was defined by a Player of the Match innings from then Brisbane Heat (and now Perth Scorchers) batter Beth Mooney
Bethany Louise Mooney (born 14 January 1994) is an Australian professional cricketer who plays for the Australia women's national cricket team, national cricket team as a batting (cricket), batter in all three formats of the game. At the domes ...
. Members of the Strikers' squad to have won a WBBL title include Sarah Coyte, who was named Player of the Final when the Sixers defeated the Scorchers in 2017–18.
All-rounders Marizanne Kapp
Marizanne Kapp ( , ; born 4 January 1990) is a South African international cricketer who plays for South Africa national women's cricket team. She was the first female cricketer to take a hat-trick in a T20 match for South Africa.
Career
In ...
and Dane van Niekerk
Dané van Niekerk ( , ; born 14 May 1993) is a South African cricketer born in Pretoria and educated at Hoërskool Centurion. A right-handed Batting (cricket), batter and leg spin, leg break Bowler (cricket), bowler, she played for South Africa ...
were also contributors to the Sixers' past championships but each player moved to new teams, the Scorchers and Strikers respectively, ahead of WBBL, 07. They would be the first married couple to compete against one another in a WBBL final—a match-up which garnered media attention with van Niekerk, in an interview days beforehand, noting her own trepidation about facing Kapp's bowling.
While the smaller WACA Ground
The WACA Ground () is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA).
The WACA has been referred to as Western Australia' ...
and Lilac Hill Park
Lilac Hill is a cricket ground in Western Australia in the Perth suburb of Caversham, where the Swan River flows around its southern and eastern sides. The ends of the ground are known as the ''River End'' and the ''Pavilion End''.
In 1990 ...
serve as their typical home venues, the Scorchers selected Perth Stadium to host the Final, where only two WBBL matches had previously been played. Although the Strikers held an overall 8–6 head-to-head edge coming into the Final, the Scorchers won both encounters earlier in the season—one via Super Over, and the other by 12 runs.
Match summary
Batting first, the Scorchers made a cautious start, scoring 18 from the opening four overs. With runs beginning to flow—Sophie Devine cutting the leading wicket-taker of the season, Amanda-Jade Wellington, for back-to-back boundaries in the seventh over—Strikers captain Tahlia McGrath
Tahlia May McGrath (born 10 November 1995) is an Australian international cricketer who is the vice-captain of the Australia women's national cricket team. She made her Women's One Day International cricket (WODI) debut South Africa women's cri ...
brought herself on to bowl with immediate effect, claiming the prized wicket of Beth Mooney for 19. Then, having just reached the halfway point of the innings with her team at 1/65, Devine was run out from a direct hit by Dane van Niekerk. The following over, Chloe Piparo
Chloe Lee Piparo (born 5 September 1994) is an Australian cricketer who plays as a right-handed Batting (cricket), batter for Western Australia women's cricket team, Western Australia in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) and Perth Scorc ...
was removed for 19, edging a Darcie Brown
Darcie Rose Brown (born 7 March 2003) is an Australian cricketer who plays as a fast bowler for the South Australian Scorpions in the Women's National Cricket League, and for the Adelaide Strikers in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL). She made ...
outswinger which was caught by wicket-keeper Teagan McPharlin.
Heather Graham
Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. The accolades she has received include nominations for two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and an Independent Spirit Award.
After appearing in tel ...
and Marizanne Kapp met at the crease in the 12th over, and they put on a partnership of 40 runs from the next 32 balls, ending when Graham was caught at cover for 23. Kapp, in her unbeaten innings of 31 from 23, proceeded to strike two boundaries in the 18th over against Sarah Coyte. Alana King
Alana Maria King (born 22 November 1995) is an Australian international cricketer. She also plays domestic cricket for Western Australia women's cricket team, Western Australia in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) and the Perth Scorcher ...
managed similar in the 20th to take the Scorchers to a total of 5/146.
Beginning the run chase in "disarray", the Strikers scored just 12 runs in the first four overs, which included a maiden bowled by Kapp to van Niekerk who played-and-missed multiple times. The Strikers finished the powerplay at 2/16—their worst start to an innings for the tournament. Tahlia McGrath and Laura Wolvaardt
Laura Wolvaardt (born 26 April 1999) is a South African cricketer who currently plays for Western Province, Adelaide Strikers, Gujarat Giants, Manchester Originals and South Africa. She plays as a right-handed opening batter. She has previo ...
combined for 61 off the next 45 balls, but the partnership ended in the 14th over when McGrath was caught at point off the bowling of Taneale Peschel.
In the 17th over Bridget Patterson, after hitting a six and a four, was dismissed by Kapp on the fourth ball, though Madeline Penna scored another boundary on the sixth ball to take 17 runs from the over. Now needing 36 off the last 18 deliveries, the Strikers "remained a late chance". However, Alana King and Heather Graham only conceded seven runs each in their subsequent overs, greatly reducing the chances of a Strikers victory. With her team requiring 22 from the final over, Penna could only muster one boundary while Peschel repeatedly beat the bat at the death to seal a 12-run win for the Scorchers.
Post-match
The Perth Scorchers became the fourth team to hold the WBBL trophy aloft, following the Sydney Thunder, Sydney Sixers and Brisbane Heat. Writing for News.com.au
News.com.au (stylised in all lowercase) is an Australian website owned by News Corp Australia. It had 9.6 million unique readers in April 2019 and covers national and international news, lifestyle, travel, entertainment, technology, finance an ...
, Tyson Otto said the Scorchers "never really looked like losing" despite "several dramatic moments", and that they were the "clear standout team of the tournament". Owen Leonard of ''The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
'' commended the "admirable resistance" of the Strikers' McGrath and Wolvaardt, but claimed the Scorchers' "flawless bowling power play" was "too deep to compensate for".
Having overcome illness during the week leading up to the final, Marizanne Kapp was named Player of the Match for her performance with bat and ball. Kapp and Mooney both claimed their third WBBL championships, a feat previously only achieved by Sammy-Jo Johnson and Lauren Smith.
The crowd of 15,511 spectators was the fourth-highest attendance for any WBBL match (the top three attendances were for matches played as double-headers with the BBL), and also the highest for a WBBL final. The most-watched game in the league's history, the Final rated a combined average audience of 535,000 across TV and streaming platforms, eclipsing the 506,000 audience for the WBBL04 decider.
Statistics
Highest totals
*Source:
CricInfo
Most runs
The Golden Bat award was introduced to the league in WBBL, 07. Having already been added as a feature of the BBL in 2019–20, the award recognises the leading run-scorer of the tournament, with the top-ranked player at any given time wearing a distinctive gold-coloured cap rather than their official franchise headwear.
*Source:
CricInfo
Most wickets
The Golden Arm award was introduced to the league in WBBL, 07. Having already been added as a feature of the BBL in 2019–20, the award recognises the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, with the top-ranked player at any given time wearing a distinctive gold-coloured cap rather than their official franchise headwear.
*Source:
Awards
Player of the tournament
Player of the Tournament votes are awarded on a 3-2-1 basis by the two standing umpires at the conclusion of every match, meaning a player can receive a maximum of six votes per game.
Source:
Team of the tournament
The selection panel for the Team of the Tournament was made up of former players Lisa Sthalekar
Lisa Carprini Sthalekar (born 13 August 1979) is an Australian cricket commentator and former cricketer and captain of the Australia women's national cricket team. In domestic cricket, she represented New South Wales. She was a right-handed al ...
(Seven Network
Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
) and Mel Jones
Melanie Jones (born 11 August 1972, Barnstaple, Devon, England) is an English-born Australian cricket commentator and former cricketer who represented the Australia women's national cricket team.
Early life
Jones was born in England and moved ...
(Fox Cricket
Fox Cricket is an Australian subscription television channel dedicated to screening cricket (both domestic and international) matches and related programming. It is owned by Fox Sports Pty Limited and is available throughout Australia on Foxtel. ...
), cricket.com.au journalist Laura Jolly and national selector Shawn Flegler. The team is intended to mimic regular WBBL conditions such as a maximum of three overseas players, a realistic mix of batters and bowlers, as well as a captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, wicket-keeper
In cricket, the wicket-keeper is the Cricket player, player on the fielding (cricket), fielding side who stands behind the wicket, ready to stop Delivery (cricket), deliveries that pass the batsman, and take a Caught, catch, Stumped, stump the ...
and coach.
* Beth Mooney
Bethany Louise Mooney (born 14 January 1994) is an Australian professional cricketer who plays for the Australia women's national cricket team, national cricket team as a batting (cricket), batter in all three formats of the game. At the domes ...
(Perth Scorchers)
* Sophie Devine
Sophie Frances Monique Devine (born 1 September 1989) is a New Zealand sportswoman, who has represented New Zealand in both cricket for the New Zealand national women's cricket team (''White Ferns''), and in field hockey as a member of the Ne ...
(Perth Scorchers) – captain
* Georgia Redmayne
Georgia Prue Redmayne (born 8 December 1993) is an Australian cricketer who plays as a Wicket-keeper-batsman, wicket-keeper-batter for Queensland Fire and Brisbane Heat (WBBL), Brisbane Heat. She has also previously played for Worcestershire Wo ...
(Brisbane Heat) – wicket-keeper
* Harmanpreet Kaur
Harmanpreet Kaur ( ; born 8 March 1989) is an Indian cricketer who captains the India women's national team in all formats. She plays as an all-rounder. In 2018, she became the first woman for India to score a century in a T20 International m ...
(Melbourne Renegades)
* Grace Harris
Grace Margaret Harris (born 18 September 1993) is an Australian cricketer who made her international debut for the Australia women's cricket team in August 2015. An all-rounder, she is a right-handed batter and right-arm off break bowler. She ...
(Brisbane Heat)
* Tahlia McGrath
Tahlia May McGrath (born 10 November 1995) is an Australian international cricketer who is the vice-captain of the Australia women's national cricket team. She made her Women's One Day International cricket (WODI) debut South Africa women's cri ...
(Adelaide Strikers)
* Amanda-Jade Wellington (Adelaide Strikers)
* Jess Jonassen
Jessica Louise Jonassen (born 5 November 1992) is an Australian cricketer from Rockhampton, Rockhampton, Queensland. A left-arm orthodox Bowler (cricket), bowler, Jonassen has been a member of the Australia women's national cricket team, nationa ...
(Brisbane Heat)
* Hannah Darlington (Sydney Thunder)
* Darcie Brown
Darcie Rose Brown (born 7 March 2003) is an Australian cricketer who plays as a fast bowler for the South Australian Scorpions in the Women's National Cricket League, and for the Adelaide Strikers in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL). She made ...
(Adelaide Strikers)
* Tayla Vlaeminck
Tayla Jade Vlaeminck (born 27 October 1998) is an Australian cricketer who plays as a right-arm Fast bowling, fast Bowling (cricket), bowler and right-handed Batting (cricket), batter for Australia women's national cricket team, Australia, Victo ...
(Hobart Hurricanes)
* Simon Helmot
Simon Helmot (born 12 February 1972) is an Australian cricket coach, who was formerly the coach of the Melbourne Renegades.
Simon Helmot began his coaching career early, taking the reins of the Hawthorn-Monash University Cricket Club in Melb ...
(Melbourne Renegades) – coach
Source:
Young gun award
Players under 21 years of age at the start of the season were eligible for the Young Gun Award. The winner was chosen by national selector Shawn Flegler.
Sydney Thunder batter Phoebe Litchfield
Phoebe Elizabeth Susan Litchfield (born 18 April 2003) is an Australian international cricketer who plays as a left-handed Batting (cricket), batter who represents Australia in all three formats of the game. She plays for the New South Wales Br ...
was named the Young Gun for WBBL, 07, having scored 263 runs during the season at an average
In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...
of 21.91 and a strike rate
Strike rate refers to two different cricket statistics, statistics in the sport of cricket. Batting strike rate is a measure of how quickly a batsman, batter achieves the primary goal of batting (cricket), batting, namely scoring run (cricket), r ...
of 109.12.[
]
Most valuable players
Each team designated an award to adjudge and recognise their most outstanding contributor for the season.
* Adelaide Strikers: Katie Mack
* Brisbane Heat: Grace Harris
* Hobart Hurricanes: Tayla Vlaeminck
* Melbourne Renegades: Harmanpreet Kaur
* Melbourne Stars: Kim Garth
Kimberley Jennifer Garth (born 25 April 1996) is an Irish-Australian cricketer who currently plays for Victoria, Melbourne Stars and Australia. An all-rounder, she plays as a right-arm medium bowler and right-handed batter. Between 2010 and 20 ...
* Perth Scorchers: Sophie Devine
* Sydney Sixers: Nicole Bolton
Nicole Elizabeth Bolton is an Australian former cricketer who played as a left-handed batter and right-arm off break bowler for Australia and a number of domestic teams in Australia, New Zealand and England.
Early life and education
Bolton wa ...
* Sydney Thunder: Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana (born 18 July 1996) is an Indian international cricketer and the vice-captain of the India women's national cricket team, national team. She is third on the list of list of cricketers by number of international centuries scored#Wo ...
See also
* 2021–22 Big Bash League season
The 2021–22 Big Bash League season or BBL, 11 was the eleventh season of the Big Bash League, the professional men's Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Australia. The tournament was played from 5 December 2021 until 28 January 2022. Per ...
Notes
References
External links
Official fixtures
Series home at ESPN Cricinfo
{{DEFAULTSORT:2021-22 Women's Big Bash League season
2021–22 Women's Big Bash League season by team
Women's Big Bash League seasons
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Women's Big Bash League
The Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) also known as Weber WBBL for sponsorship reasons, is the Australian professional Women's Twenty20 Cricket league. The WBBL replaced the Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup, which ran from the 2007–08 season ...