2018–19 Sydney Sixers WBBL season
The 2018–19 Sydney Sixers Women's season was the fourth in the team's history. Coached by Ben Sawyer, they finished the regular season of WBBL|04 on top of the ladder to claim their third-consecutive minor premiership while captain Ellyse Perry set a new Women's Big Bash League record for most runs in a single campaign and was named Player of the Tournament. In the semi-finals, the Sixers won a "miracle"[1] encounter against the Melbourne Renegades which was notable for a last-ball run out that forced the game into a super over. In the championship decider, the Sixers fell short of achieving a three-peat, losing a "classic"[2] contest to the Brisbane Heat by three wickets.
| 2018–19 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Sydney Sixers 2018–19 cap logo | |||
| Coach | Ben Sawyer | ||
| Captain(s) | Ellyse Perry | ||
| Home ground | Sydney Cricket Ground | ||
| League | WBBL | ||
| Record | 10–4 (1st) | ||
| Finals | Runners-up | ||
| Leading Run Scorer | Ellyse Perry – 777 | ||
| Leading Wicket Taker | Marizanne Kapp – 20 | ||
| Player of the Season | Ellyse Perry | ||
| |||
Squad
Each 2018–19 squad featured 15 active players, with an allowance of up to five marquee signings including a maximum of three from overseas.[3]
Under a new rule, Australian marquees were classed as players who held a national women's team contract at the time of signing on for their WBBL|04 team. This, combined with the introduction of two-year contracts ahead of the previous season, meant that the Sixers would inadvertently exceed their marquee player limit in 2018–19. To address this inequity, an injured or unavailable Sixers marquee could only be replaced by a domestic player.[4]
Personnel changes for the Sixers ahead of WBBL|04 included:
- Sarah Coyte returned to her original WBBL team, the Adelaide Strikers.
- Angela Reakes departed the team and subsequently joined the Melbourne Stars.
- Local teenage players Stella Campbell, Hayley Silver-Holmes and Tahlia Wilson were added to the roster.
The table below lists the Sixers players and their key stats (including runs scored, batting strike rate, wickets taken, economy rate, catches and stumpings) for the season.[4][5][6]
| No. | Name | Nat. | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | G | R | SR | W | E | C | S | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | |||||||||||||
| 6 | Ashleigh Gardner | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} |
15 April 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | 16 | 337 | 115.01 | 3 | 8.34 | 2 | – | Australian marquee |
| 28 | Sara McGlashan |  |
28 March 1982 | Right-handed | – | 16 | 69 | 85.81 | – | – | 5 | – | Overseas marquee |
| 21 | Tahlia Wilson | |
21 October 1999 | Right-handed | – | 5 | 5 | 62.50 | – | – | 1 | – | |
| All-rounders | |||||||||||||
| 29 | Erin Burns | |
22 June 1988 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | 16 | 250 | 129.53 | 11 | 6.53 | 5 | – | |
| 13 | Clara Iemma | |
31 October 1998 | Left-handed | Right-arm off spin | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 8 | Ellyse Perry | |
3 November 1990 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 16 | 777 | 121.21 | 10 | 6.89 | 9 | – | Captain, Australian marquee |
| 20 | Dane van Niekerk |  |
14 May 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin | 16 | 174 | 116.77 | 19 | 6.70 | 3 | – | Overseas marquee |
| Wicket-keeper | |||||||||||||
| 77 | Alyssa Healy | |
24 March 1990 | Right-handed | – | 16 | 445 | 141.71 | – | – | 11 | 6 | Australian marquee |
| Bowlers | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Sarah Aley | |
3 June 1984 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 11 | 2 | 33.33 | 4 | 8.52 | 3 | – | |
| 18 | Stella Campbell | |
15 June 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast medium | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 5 | Lauren Cheatle | |
6 November 1998 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast medium | 16 | 9 | 81.81 | 14 | 6.97 | 0 | – | Australian marquee |
| 17 | Marizanne Kapp | |
4 January 1990 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast medium | 16 | 67 | 91.78 | 20 | 5.80 | 2 | – | Overseas marquee |
| 74 | Carly Leeson | |
9 November 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2 | 4 | 66.66 | – | – | 1 | – | |
| 4 | Hayley Silver-Holmes | |
18 August 2003 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast medium | 14 | 7 | 50.00 | 3 | 9.72 | 5 | – | |
| 2 | Lauren Smith | |
6 October 1996 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | 16 | 40 | 78.43 | 10 | 6.85 | 6 | – | |
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney Sixers (RU) | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0.509 |
| 2 | Sydney Thunder | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 0.479 |
| 3 | Brisbane Heat (C) | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 1.118 |
| 4 | Melbourne Renegades | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 15 | −0.079 |
| 5 | Perth Scorchers | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | −0.476 |
| 6 | Adelaide Strikers | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 11 | −0.336 |
| 7 | Melbourne Stars | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 11 | −0.905 |
| 8 | Hobart Hurricanes | 14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 4 | −0.364 |
- The four top ranked teams qualified for the semi finals
Fixtures
All times are local time
Regular season
Sydney Sixers 7/165 (20 overs) |
v |
Melbourne Stars 3/166 (17.2 overs) |
- Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to bat
- Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
Perth Scorchers 9/167 (20.0 overs) |
v |
Sydney Sixers 4/171 (18.4 overs) |
- Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to bat
- Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
Sydney Sixers 4/168 (20 overs) |
v |
Sydney Thunder 7/132 (20 overs) |
- Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to bat
- Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
Hobart Hurricanes 5/133 (15 overs) |
v |
Sydney Sixers 3/155 (14.4 overs) |
- Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to field
- Match reduced to 15 overs per team due to rain delay
- Sydney Sixers' target revised to 152
Sydney Sixers 3/158 (20 overs) |
v |
Hobart Hurricanes 141 (19.1 overs) |
- Hobart Hurricanes won the toss and elected to field
- Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
Sydney Sixers 3/166 (20 overs) |
v |
Brisbane Heat 7/155 (20 overs) |
- Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to bat
Brisbane Heat 7/154 (20 overs) |
v |
Sydney Sixers 88 (18 overs) |
- Brisbane Heat won the toss and elected to bat
Melbourne Renegades 8/110 (20 overs) |
v |
Sydney Sixers 3/111 (14.1 overs) |
- Melbourne Renegades won the toss and elected to bat
Sydney Sixers 1/206 (20 overs) |
v |
Adelaide Strikers 132 (19.1 overs) |
- Adelaide Strikers won the toss and elected to field
Sydney Sixers 4/147 (20 overs) |
v |
Adelaide Strikers 8/139 (20 overs) |
- Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to bat
- Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
Sydney Sixers 7/98 (20 overs) |
v |
Sydney Thunder 2/101 (17.4 overs) |
- Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
- Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
Sydney Sixers 2/183 (20 overs) |
v |
Perth Scorchers 151 (19.4 overs) |
- Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to bat
Sydney Sixers 2/136 (20 overs) |
v |
Melbourne Renegades 8/107 (20 overs) |
- Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to bat
Sydney Sixers 92 (19 overs) |
v |
Melbourne Stars 5/96 (16.4 overs) |
- Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to bat
- Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
Knockout phase
Sydney Sixers 4/131 (20 overs) |
v |
Melbourne Renegades 6/131 (20 overs) |
- Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to bat
- Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
- Ellyse Perry became the first player to score 700 runs in a WBBL season
In the Renegades' first finals appearance, with three runs required off the last ball for an upset victory, Sophie Molineux was found short of her ground attempting the winning run due to a "miracle"[1] piece of team fielding by Sixers players Erin Burns, Sarah Aley and Alyssa Healy. In the resulting super over, Sixers captain Ellyse Perry hit a six off Molly Strano to eliminate the Renegades from the tournament. The match, in conjunction with the other semi-final played earlier in the day, was hailed as a showcase of "the irrefutable rise of women's cricket"[8] and "sport with drama, skill and unpredictability – a potent recipe for success".[9]
Sydney Sixers 7/131 (20 overs) |
v |
Brisbane Heat 7/132 (19.2 overs) |
- Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to bat
- Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
- Brisbane Heat won their first title
In front of the league's first-ever sellout crowd,[11] the visiting Brisbane Heat pulled off an upset victory to win their maiden championship and deny a Sixers three-peat. Requiring 34 runs with 36 balls remaining, the Heat looked to be in control of the chase until the 15th over when Dane van Niekerk struck twice—including the removal of linchpin Beth Mooney for 65 through a forward-diving catch by Ellyse Perry in the outfield. Although Brisbane would continue to lose wickets, Laura Harris did enough to steady the ship, eventually hitting the winning runs with three wickets and four deliveries to spare.[2] Player of the Final Mooney, who had been receiving on-field medical treatment for the flu and heat stroke, revealed in a post-match interview that her ongoing game delays instigated sledging from several opponents: "It was kind of nice to know while I wasn't feeling well, I was going well enough to piss them off and they were getting frustrated at how long I was taking to face up... I've played enough cricket against (the Sixers) to know what gets under their skin and we definitely won that battle."[12]
Statistics and awards
- Most runs: Ellyse Perry – 777 (1st in the league)[13]
- Highest score in an innings: Alyssa Healy – 112* (69) vs Adelaide Strikers, 28 December 2018[14]
- Most wickets: Marizanne Kapp – 20 (equal 3rd in the league)[15]
- Best bowling figures in an innings: Marizanne Kapp – 4/27 (4 overs) vs Hobart Hurricanes, 16 December 2018[16]
- Most catches (fielder): Ellyse Perry – 9 (equal 2nd in the league)[17]
- Player of the Match awards:
- Ellyse Perry – 6
- Alyssa Healy – 2
- Erin Burns, Ashleigh Gardner, Dane van Niekerk – 1 each
- Sixers Player of the Tournament: Ellyse Perry[18]
- WBBL|04 Player of the Tournament: Ellyse Perry (1st)[19]
- WBBL|04 Team of the Tournament: Alyssa Healy, Marizanne Kapp, Ellyse Perry[20]
References
- "Incredible WBBL semi-finals leave Australia speechless after back-to-back final ball miracle finishes". NewsComAu. 2019-01-19. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- "Heat topple Sixers in classic WBBL final". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- "WBBL|04: All you need to know guide". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
- "All the WBBL squads so far". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
- "Player Profiles | Sydney Sixers - BBL". www.sydneysixers.com.au. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
- "Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 - Sydney Sixers Women Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
- "Women's Big Bash League Table – 2018–19".
- "Women's cricket the winner in WBBL semis". the Guardian. 2019-01-20. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- Lawson, Geoff (2019-01-26). "Given a Fairbreak, the WBBL has shown its true value". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- "Thrilling finals cap off successful WBBL|04". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- "WBBL Final: All you need to know". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- "Mooney braves heat, illness in title win". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- "Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- "Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- "Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- "Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- "Women's Big Bash League, 2018/19 Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- "Abbott and Perry win major Cricket NSW awards". Cricket NSW. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- "Perry rewarded for outstanding WBBL|04". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- "Our WBBL|04 team of the tournament". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 2020-06-09.