White Ferns x WBBL02: Update #4
Elbows up, side to side.
Keeping up with the Big Bash League or the Women's Big Bash League is tricky with games coming thick and fast. We've got a nice little break in the WBBL now to touch base with our White Ferns, many of whom have been flying back and forward between Aotearoa and Australia to play in the kiwi one-day competition and the WBBL.
The White Ferns x WBBL02 table looks like this...
Sara McGlashan (Sixers) - 14pts.
Amy Satterthwaite (Hurricanes) - 11pts.
Morna Nielsen (Stars) - 10pts.
Suzie Bates (Scorchers) - 10pts.
Sophie Devine (Strikers) - 8pts.
Lea Tahuhu/Rachel Priest (Renegades) - 7.5pts.
Sara McGlashan
McGlashan's Sixers are leading the WBBL, without major contributions from McGlashan as she's thanks to the presence of three Sixers in the top-seven WBBL run-scorers. Having stayed with the Sixers this whole time, McGlashan is however chipping in nicely with double-digit scores and as she is striking at 95.62, she's keeping the momentum of runs flowing from the batswomen ahead of her.
Bat: 10 inns, 175 runs @21.87avg/95.62sr, ranked 21st in runs.
Amy Satterthwaite
Between December 26th and January 5th, Satterthwaite was back with Canterbury and hit a 58 and 42* in four one-day games back at home. Since returning to the WBBL though, Satterthwaite has hit scores of 32*, 57 and 22* which has come with 4 wickets in those three games. She's Hobart's 2nd best bowler and their leading run-scorer, perhaps the best batswomen in the WBBL as she's got the highest average of players with more than 200 runs (79.66).
Bat: 8 inns, 239 runs @79.66avg/111.16sr, 8th in runs.
Ball: 8 inns, 8 wickets @22avg/6.28rpo, 15th in wickets.
Morna Nielsen
Having popped back to Lincoln for two one-day games with Otago, Nielsen has continued to put in solid performances without the spectacular. She's taken 2 wickets in in four games since returning to the Stars and Nielsen has a healthy 6.43rpo, don't sleep on the fact that she has only bowled 27.3 overs in 10 games. Compare that to Satterthwaite, who has bowled 28 overs in eight games and the top-six wicket-takers who have all bowled at least 30 overs; Nielsen's doing well with fewer opportunities than others.
Ball: 10 inns, 6 wickets @29.50avg/6.43rpo, 22 in wickets.
Suzie Bates
The most important note on the great Suzie Bates is that she has more wickets than another S. (Samantha) Bates from the Thunder. Our Bates only returned to play one game for Otago on December 29th and like Satterthwaite, Bates has sparked into action with the bat since getting back to the Scorchers. A 54* and 52 in her last three games are Bates' only half-centuries thus far in the WBBL, which points to Bates possibly finding some form in the clutch stage of the tournament. Those runs come with great bowling though and Bates has taken a wicket in all but two of her past nine games with the Scorchers.
Bat: 10 inns, 220 runs @24.44avg/94.01sr, 11th in runs.
Ball: 10 inns, 10 wickets @22.30avg/6.86rpo, 9th in wickets.
Sophie Devine
Having only played six WBBL games, Devine's Boxing Day century is still keeping her in touch with the best run-scorers of the WBBL. A 70 for Wellington on January 3rd was the highlight of Devine's two-game return trip to Aotearoa, but since that century Devine has hit scores of 0 and 13 for the Strikers. Don't forget that before the century, Devine hit three straight innings in the 40's and the Strikers desperately need their best run-scorer to finish the WBBL as she started it.
Bat: 6 inns, 243 runs @60.75avg/142.10sr, 6th in runs.
Lea Tahuhu/Rachel Priest
Melbourne Renegades will need a miracle to slide up the ladder, possibly led by a mountain of runs off the bat of opener Priest. With a strike-rate of 101.76, Priest is doing a nice job of getting the Renegades' innings off to a hot start, however an average of 17.30 and high-score of 31 in her past eight games means that as an opener, Priest isn't sticking around long enough to really influence games.
Tahuhu is doing her best with the ball and she's the only White Ferns bowler who is conceding less than 6rpo. Chipping in with a wicket in all but two of her 10 games and serving up economical bowling, there isn't much else Tahuhu can do for the Renegades.
Priest (bat): 10 inns, 173 runs @17.30avg/101.76sr.
Tahuhu (ball): 10 inns, 8 wickets @26.25avg/5.52rpo.
There is another cluster of games over the weekend, so we'll touch base next Tuesday and see if our White Ferns have been able to contribute in key moments as the WBBL nears a climax.