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WBBL 06 Preview: Balanced Adelaide Strikers Look to Finish the Unfinished Job This Year For the Maiden Title

Under the leadership of Suzie Bates, Adelaide Strikers shook off the previous sorrow and played the final last season. Having won 33 out of the 71 matches with a winning percentage of 47. However, they will try to win the title this year.

Played- 71, Won- 33, Lost- 37, Tie/NR-1, Win%- 47.14

WBBL 05 result: Runners-up

Strikers won 10 matches out of the 14 and reached the semi as the 2nd team. In the WBBL|05 semi-finals, the Strikers comfortably reached the required total of 127 with eight wickets in hand and eleven balls remaining to eliminate the Scorchers from the tournament. In the final knock of 55 runs from 33 balls by Wellington helped the Strikers to recover to a competitive score of 7/161. This was not enough before the fighting spirit of Beth Mooney whose determined unbeaten 56 helped heats to retain the title.

Best Result: Runners Up (2019-2020)

Women’s Big bash League Team Analysis:

The Adelaide Strikers have maintained a very similar squad to the one that finished runners-up in WBBL 05, with one major omission: Sophie Devine, the reigning player of the tournament who has moved to the Perth Scorchers.

There’s no-one quite like the New Zealand superstar, but the Strikers have done well to re-sign West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor, one of the games most experienced players, and recruit South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, one of the game’s most exciting young talents.

The 21-year-old, who was named South Africa’s best player of 2019-20, struggled to make an impact in her most recent Big Bash season at the Brisbane Heat in WBBL|04, averaging 9.57 in a team that took out the title, however, she has made enormous strides in her T20 game since; progress she displayed in two stunning knocks during the World Cup, including her 41no from 27 deliveries against Australia in the semi-final.

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Adelaide has also retained a solid nucleus in Australian star Megan Schutt, New Zealand veteran Suzie Bates, Tahlia McGrath – who earned her first CA contract this year – and added a second leg-spinner in Maddy Penna. McGrath made a long-awaited return to the Australia ODI XI this month and her 29 from just 11 deliveries should have Strikers fans excited.

Adelaide Strikers clearly rate the skills of young fast bowler Darcie Brown highly, with the 17-year-old on a multi-year deal. After appearances for the Cricket Australia XI and the Governor-General’s XI last summer, their early investment in the speedster could begin to pay off this season.

 

 

Adelaide Strikers
Adelaide Strikers © Chris Hyde/Getty Images

West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor has re-signed with the Adelaide Strikers for the upcoming WBBL 06 season. The confirmation of Taylor’s return rounds out the Strikers’ squad for WBBL|06, where they will hope to improve on their runners-up result from last summer. The talented top-order batter and off-spinner are already in Adelaide, completing two weeks of hotel quarantine before she joins her teammates for the journey to Sydney, which will serve as home base for the entire 59-game season.

Taylor was part of the Strikers’ group last season, making a promising start when she collected 3-26 against the Melbourne Renegades, but managed just two appearances before being called away on international duties for a series against India. She had hoped to return for the business end of the tournament but was struck down by injury.

The 29-year-old, who played for Sydney Thunder through the first four WBBL seasons, is second on the all-time T20I run-scorers list behind Strikers captain Suzie Bates and is currently the world’s top-ranked ODI batter. In all, Adelaide Strikers has made just two changes to last year’s group, with Wolvaardt and leg-spinner Madeline Penna the new faces.

Strength:

The Balance in the batting and bowing is the key for the Strikers. Bates Taylor Woolvaardt and Schuut can destroy any team on their day and players like Katie Mack, Tegan McPharlin, Bridget Patterson can play a well-supported role.

Weakness:

The middle-order which looks bit inexperienced can be the Achilles heel for the opponent. While in the seam bowling department, Megan Schutt needs to take the lion share of the responsibilities which can decrease her own performances.

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WBBL 06 Squad of Adelaide Strikers:

Suzie Bates (C, NZ), Megan Schutt (Aus), Tahlia McGrath (Aus), Stafanie Taylor (WI), Laura Wolvaardt (SA), Darcie Brown, Sarah Coyte, Ellen Falconer, Katie Mack, Tegan McPharlin, Annie O’Neil, Bridget Patterson, Maddy Penna, Alex Price, Amanda-Jade Wellington

In:

Laura Wolvaardt, Maddy Penna (Stars)

Out: 

Sophie Devine (Scorchers), Tabatha Saville, Lauren Winfield (Eng, replacement player)

Key Players:

Suzie Bates (C), Tahlia McGrath, Stafanie Taylor, Laura Wolvaardt, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Sarah Coyte, Megan Schutt,

Probable XI:

Suzie Bates (C), Tahlia McGrath, Stafanie Taylor, Laura Wolvaardt, Bridget Patterson, Katie Mack, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Tegan McPharlin (wk), Sarah Coyte, Megan Schutt, Maddy Penna

Fixtures:

October 25: vs Hurricanes, Hurstville Oval

October 26: vs Sixers, North Sydney Oval

October 31: vs Thunder, Showground Stadium

November 1: vs Scorchers, Drummoyne Oval

November 3: vs Stars, Blacktown International Sports Park

November 7: vs Heat, North Sydney Oval

November 8: vs Renegades, North Sydney Oval

November 10: vs Stars, Blacktown International Sports Park

November 14: vs Heat, Drummoyne Oval

November 15: vs Sixers, Drummoyne Oval

November 17: vs Hurricanes, Hurstville Oval

November 18: vs Renegades, Blacktown International Sports Park

November 21: vs Thunder, Drummoyne Oval

November 22: vs Scorchers, North Sydney Oval

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