No shortage of allrounders in the final XI and perhaps a controversial call or two
Andrew McGlashan26-Oct-2024Ahead of the tenth season of the WBBL we thought it would be fun to select an all-time XI. The aim was to try and pick a balanced side with players as close to their usual positions as possible, or a role that they could fill. There are a few particularly notable omissions, with the top-order and spin options especially stacked.Beth MooneyThe leading run-scorer in the competition’s history heading into the tenth season, Mooney’s consistency has been remarkable. Only twice has she averaged under 42 for a season; one of those was the first year of WBBL in 2015-16 and the other was 2018-19 when she was still able to score a hundred and then play the defining innings in the final for Brisbane Heat. Her most prolific campaign was 2019-20 with 743 runs at 74.30 – she has followed that with four more seasons of over 500 runs following her move to Perth Scorchers.Related
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Alyssa HealyIn this XI, Healy forms her international opening combination with Mooney. It won’t always be about volume of runs for Healy – the way she plays means low scores are part of the risk – but when things click she can be unstoppable. She has the most centuries (five) in WBBL history and the second-highest strike rate of those with at least 1000 runs. In 2019, during which she added a tournament-record stand of 199 with Ellyse Perry, and then 2020, Healy had the eye-watering strike-rates of 155.69 and 161.44. The following two seasons were less productive (albeit including 107 off 64 balls against Perth Scorchers) and the dog-bite incident meant she missed all but one game last summer.Grace HarrisOne of the WBBL’s most iconic figures. Harris’ three centuries all come with great stories: she struck the first in the competition’s history, then made the fastest off 42 balls and last season surged to 136 off 59 balls with one of her sixes coming with a broken bat. “Stuff hit, I’ll hit it anyway,” was the viral quote. As with a number of players in this side, there is a high level of risk vs reward and there will be lows amid the highs. But Harris can win a match on her own.Sophie Devine has regularly made an impact with bet and ball•Getty Images Sophie DevineThe most formidable allrounder in WBBL – and there’s good competition for that title. An ever-present across the nine seasons, split between Adelaide Strikers and Perth Scorchers, things started a little slowly for Devine in the first year but then she found lift-off with 103 not out off 48 balls against Hobart Hurricanes. Barring a tough 2022 season, she has remained ultra consistent. The 2019 edition was a stunning one where she averaged 76.90 with the bat and claimed 19 wickets. She remains the only player in the tournament with a half-century and a five-wicket haul in the same game.Ashleigh GardnerIt’s possible to argue that Gardner has underperformed overall with the bat in the WBBL. But her strike rate remains in the top 10 for those with at least 1000 runs, and in the middle order it’s about the impact a player can have over a shorter period. Initially it was Gardner’s batting that led the way – including the magnificent 114 off 52 balls against in 2017 – but the last two seasons has seen her offspin excel. In the 2022 edition she managed to bring both aspects together with a player of the tournament return where she averaged 28.25 with the bat, alongside a strike rate of 150.66, and claimed 23 wickets.Marizanne KappKapp gets into the side for her bowling, which includes the stand-out economy rate of 5.59 – the second best in WBBL history with a minimum of 200 overs – while providing a middle-order safety net with the bat. Until last season, where she admitted she had a torrid time at Sydney Thunder, Kapp had been the epitome of consistency. Her peak all-round seasons came in 2019 and 2020 when she averaged 32.61 with the bat and 19.82 with the ball across the two editions for Sydney Sixers. Then, having moved to Perth Scorchers for the 2021 season, she was player of the match in the final against Adelaide Strikers.Amanda-Jade Wellington has produced some remarkable figures•Getty ImagesJess JonassenThe leading wicket-taker in the competition, Jonassen has been an ever-present for Brisbane Heat. She has never had a poor season and peaked with a brilliant all-round double of 419 runs at 38.09 (strike rate 133.01) and 21 wickets at 19.19 in the second of their back-to-back titles in 2019. In the last two seasons she has taken a combined tally of 70 wickets across 46 games.Sammy-Jo JohnsonThe pace-bowling allrounder has been a key figure in two tournament deciders for two teams: in 2019 she broke open Heat’s run chase with 27 off 11 balls against Adelaide Strikers, then in 2020, having moved home to Sydney Thunder, took 2 for 11 off her four overs to set-up victory over Melbourne Stars to take the title. That capped a season where she was the tournament’s leading wicket-taker. In the 2018-19 edition, the first of Heat’s back-to-back titles, she produced a memorable all-round display with 260 runs and 20 wickets, becoming the first player to complete a 250 run/20 wicket double for a season. Last summer she joined the century of wickets club.Amanda-Jade WellingtonIt’s a tough race to be the legspinner in this team. In another era, Wellington would have played a lot more for Australia. Few bowl a harder-spun leg-break. Instead, she has been an integral figure for Adelaide Strikers with the last few seasons seeing her game go to another level. Across Strikers’ back-to-back titles she has taken 46 wickets. For 12 months she held the best figures in the tournament’s history with 5 for 8 against Heat in the 2021 Eliminator final, a return she matched against Renegades a year later, and she was player of the match in the 2023 final. Across all nine seasons only once (2016-17) has she not taken at least 10 wickets.Molly StranoLike Wellington, Strano is unfortunate not to have played more international cricket. She led the way from the WBBL’s launch, initially for Melbourne Renegades, and was the first bowler to reach 100 wickets. In 2019-2020 she was the leading wicket-taker in the season with 24 and only once has taken fewer than 13 in a campaign. Her best figures of 5 for 15 came in the first season of WBBL against Melbourne StarsMegan SchuttAs one of the leading pace bowlers in the world for a number of years, it’s little surprise that Schutt is the most successful quick in the WBBL although it is over the last two seasons where her wicket-taking numbers have really exploded including the 6 for 19 which are the best figures in the competition. While she wasn’t always a prolific wicket-taker, her economy rate has often been a standout: as low as 5.06 during the 2016-17 season never higher than 6.46 in any edition.
