The Adelaide Strikers (WBBL) are an Australian women's

Twenty20 cricket Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single inni ...

team based in

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...

. They compete in the

Women's Big Bash League The Women's Big Bash League (known as the WBBL and, for sponsorship reasons, the Weber WBBL) is the Australian women's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition. The WBBL replaced the Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup, which ran from the 2007–08 ...

, and won their first championship in WBBL08.

History

Formation

One of eight founding WBBL teams, the Adelaide Strikers are aligned with the men's team of the same name. At the official WBBL launch on 10 July 2015,

Megan Schutt Megan Schutt (born 15 January 1993) is an Australian cricketer who has played for the national team as a medium-fast bowler since 2012. Domestically, she plays for the South Australian Scorpions, for whom she debuted in 2009, and, since 2015, t ...

was unveiled as the team's first-ever player signing.

Andrea McCauley Andrea McCauley (born 23 September 1965) is an Australian former cricketer and cricket coach. She appeared in one Test match and one One Day International for Australia in 1990, both against New Zealand. She played domestic cricket for South ...

was appointed as the Strikers' inaugural coach, while

Lauren Ebsary Lauren Kaye Ebsary (born 15 March 1983) is an Australian cricketer. Primarily a batsman, batter, she is a former member of the Australia national women's cricket team. Ebsary made her senior debut for South Australian Scorpions, South Australia ...

became the team's inaugural

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. The Strikers played their first match on 12 December at

Aurora Stadium York Park is a sports ground in the Inveresk and York Park Precinct, Launceston, Australia. Holding 19,000 people – the largest capacity stadium in Tasmania, York Park is known commercially as University of Tasmania Stadium and was formerly ...

against the

Hobart Hurricanes The Hobart Hurricanes are an Australian professional men's T20 franchise cricket team based in Tasmania, Australia. They compete in Australia's domestic T20 cricket competition known as the Big Bash League, which is a league where many int ...

, losing by two runs. Their first win came on 20 December 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 w ...

against the

Sydney Thunder The Sydney Thunder are 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 are the successors of the New South Wal ...

, chasing down a target of 149 runs with six wickets in hand and six balls to spare.

Rivalries

Perth Scorchers

In the league's early years, the Strikers and the

Perth Scorchers The Perth Scorchers is an Australian domestic Twenty20 franchise cricket team representing the Western Australian city of Perth in the Big Bash League (BBL). The Scorchers are the current BBL Champions, having defeated the Sydney Sixers in the ...

experienced several instances of senior members switching allegiances: * Inaugural Strikers captain Lauren Ebsary joined the Scorchers after just one season. * Former Scorchers captain Suzie Bates moved to the Strikers ahead of WBBL, 03 and became the first player to lead two WBBL clubs. * After scoring the most runs for Perth throughout WBBL, 01,

Charlotte Edwards Charlotte Marie Edwards (born 17 December 1979) is an English former cricketer and current cricket coach and commentator. She played primarily as a right-handed batter. She appeared in 23 Test matches, 191 One Day Internationals and 95 Twenty ...

transferred to Adelaide in her final year of cricket. The following season, Edwards assumed an assistant coaching role for the Strikers. * Ahead of WBBL, 06, former Adelaide

all-rounder An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are consi ...

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. I ...

was appointed to the position of head coach for the Scorchers. Noteworthy matches between the two teams include: * 13 January 2018,

Traeger Park Traeger Park (currently known under naming rights as TIO Traeger Park) is a sports complex located in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia, and is named after Alfred Hermann Traeger. The park was officially opened by Anne Catherine Sma ...

: In a match reduced to 16 overs per side due to a rain delay, the Scorchers could only muster a first innings score of 9/87. In the run chase, Suzie Bates played a lone hand of 49

not out In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress. Occurrence At least one batter is not out at ...

to help the Strikers win by six wickets with one ball to spare. * 9 November 2019,

Karen Rolton Oval Karen Rolton Oval is a cricket ground in Adelaide, South Australia, named after the former Australian cricketer Karen Rolton. It is located near the corner of West Terrace and Port Road, opposite the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, in the eas ...

: An innings of 80 runs from 58 deliveries by Amy Jones helped Perth post a total of 3/173. Despite a slow start to the run chase, Adelaide finished strongly with

Bridget Patterson Bridget Emma Patterson (born 12 April 1994) is an Australian cricketer who plays as a right-handed batter for the South Australian Scorpions in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) and the Adelaide Strikers in the Women's Big Bash League ...

scoring 60 off 32 balls. However,

Heather Graham Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. After appearing in television commercials, her first starring role in a feature film came with the teen comedy '' License to Drive'' (1988), followed by the critically acclaime ...

conceded just a single off the final ball to give the Scorchers a two-run win. * 7 December 2019, Allan Border Field: 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.

Brisbane Heat

Noteworthy matches between the Strikers and the

Brisbane Heat The Brisbane Heat are an Australian men's professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that competes in the Big Bash League. The Heat wears a teal uniform and are based in Brisbane in the Australian state Queensland. Their home ground is the Br ...

include: * 21 January 2017,

The Gabba The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located. Over the years, the Ga ...

: Chasing a modest total of 6/127, the Strikers required three runs for victory with two balls remaining. Brisbane medium-pacer

Deandra Dottin Deandra Jalisa Shakira Dottin (born 21 June 1991) is a Barbadian cricketer and former track and field athlete. A right-handed batter and right-arm fast bowler, Dottin made her debut for the West Indies women's cricket team in ...

then

bowled In cricket, the term bowled has several meanings. First, is the act of propelling the ball towards the wicket defended by a batsman. Second, it is a method of dismissing a batsman, by hitting the wicket with a ball delivered by the bowler. (Th ...

Tegan McPharlin Tegan Jayne McPharlin (born 7 August 1988) is an Australian former cricketer who played as a right-handed batter and wicket-keeper. She played for South Australia and Adelaide Strikers. She announced her retirement from state cricket in 2022, ...

before conceding two runs off the final delivery to force a tie. In the resulting super over, Dottin–who had earlier scored 51 runs with the bat–capped off a dominant all-round performance by taking two wickets and limiting Adelaide to just four runs.

Beth Mooney Bethany Louise Mooney (born 14 January 1994) is an Australian professional cricketer who plays for the national cricket team as a batter in all three formats of the game. At the domestic level, she plays as a wicket-keeper-batter for Western ...

scored the winning runs to secure the Heat's first finals appearance. * 8 December 2019, Allan Border Field: In the WBBL, 05 final, the Heat gained early ascendancy through quick bowler

Georgia Prestwidge Georgia Kate Prestwidge (born 17 December 1997) is an Australian cricketer who plays as a right-arm Fast bowling, medium Bowling (cricket), bowler and right-handed Batting (cricket), batter for Queensland Fire in the Women's National Cricket Lea ...

, who dismissed Player of the Tournament

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 New ...

for just five. A "superb" knock of 55 runs from 33 balls by

Amanda-Jade Wellington Amanda-Jade Wellington (born 29 May 1997) is an Australian cricketer. She bowls right-arm leg spin and plays for the South Australian Scorpions in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) and the Adelaide Strikers in the Women's Big Bash Leagu ...

helped the Strikers to recover to a competitive score of 7/161. The match swung heavily toward Brisbane's favour in the fifth over of the run chase when

Sammy-Jo Johnson Sammy-Jo Johnson (born 5 November 1992) is an Australian cricketer who plays as a right-arm medium-fast bowler and right-handed batter for New South Wales Breakers in the Women's National Cricket League and Sydney Thunder in the Women's Big B ...

hit four sixes against the bowling of Devine, though Johnson would be out caught-and-bowled on the last ball of the over. When Devine returned to bowl the eleventh over of the innings, Heat batter

Jess Jonassen Jessica Louise Jonassen (born 5 November 1992) is an Australian cricketer from Rockhampton, Queensland. A left-arm orthodox bowling all-rounder, Jonassen has been a member of the national women's team since 2012, going on to win four ICC T20 ...

was dropped by Wellington at extra cover. Jonassen then scored a boundary from each of the next three deliveries she faced, taking Brisbane's required scoring rate down to less than a run a ball. The Heat went on to win with six wickets in hand and eleven balls remaining, claiming their second consecutive championship. For her contribution of 56 not out, Beth Mooney was named Player of the Final.

Captaincy records

There have been five

captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the Strikers' history, including matches featuring an acting captain. Source:

Season summaries

Home grounds

Players

Current squad

Australian representatives

The following is a list of cricketers who have played for the Strikers after making their debut in the national women's team (the period they spent as both a Strikers squad member and an Australian-capped player is in brackets):

Overseas marquees

Associate rookies

Statistics and awards

Team stats

*Champions: 1 – WBBL08 *Runners-up: 2 – WBBL05, WBBL07 * Minor premiers: 0 * Win–loss record: * Highest score in an innings: 5/189 (20 overs) vs

, 8 January 2019 * Highest successful chase: ** 2/155 (14.5 overs) vs Hobart Hurricanes, 18 November 2022 ** 4/156 (19.4 overs) vs

, 24 November 2022 * Lowest successful defence: 7/107 (20 overs) vs

, 14 January 2018 * Largest victory: ** Batting first: 83 runs vs Hobart Hurricanes, 10 December 2017 ** Batting second: 55 balls remaining vs

Melbourne Renegades The Melbourne Renegades are an Australian professional men's Twenty20 franchise cricket club based in Melbourne, the capital city of the Australian state of Victoria. They compete in the Australian Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash ...

, 25 November 2021 * Longest winning streak: 6 matches * Longest losing streak: 8 matches Source:

Individual stats

* Most runs:

– 2,174 * Highest score in an innings: Sophie Devine – 103 * (48) vs Hobart Hurricanes, 26 December 2016 * Highest partnership: Sophie Devine and

– 131 vs

Melbourne Stars The 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 Melb ...

, 23 December 2018 * Most wickets:

– 126 * Best bowling figures in an innings:

– 6/19 (3.3 overs) vs

, 20 November 2022 *

Hat-tricks A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wi ...

taken:

Darcie Brown Darcie Rose Brown (born 7 March 2003) is an Australian cricketer who plays as a pace 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 ...

vs Brisbane Heat, 24 October 2021 * Most catches (fielder): Bridget Patterson – 52 * Most dismissals (wicket-keeper):

– 91 (51 catches, 40 stumpings) Source:

Individual awards

* Player of the Match: ** Sophie Devine – 15 **

Tahlia McGrath Tahlia May McGrath (born 10 November 1995) is an Australian cricketer. She made her Women's One Day International cricket (WODI) debut South Africa women's cricket team in Australia in 2016–17, against South Africa on 27 November 2016. She ma ...

– 8 ** Darcie Brown,

Sarah Coyte Sarah Jane Cady (née Coyte; born 30 March 1991) is an Australian cricketer from Camden, New South Wales. A right-arm medium fast bowler, Coyte has taken a total of 100 wickets for the national women's team across Tests, ODIs and T20Is. She ...

, Katie Mack, Amanda-Jade Wellington – 4 each ** Suzie Bates, Bridget Patterson, Megan Schutt,

Laura Wolvaardt Laura Wolvaardt (born 26 April 1999) is a South African cricketer who currently plays for Western Province, Adelaide Strikers, Gujarat Giants and South Africa. She plays as a right-handed opening batter. She has previously played for Norther ...

– 3 each ** Madeline Penna – 2 **

, Tegan McPharlin,

Alex Price Alex Price (born 8 May 1985) is a British actor who has appeared in various television programmes including '' Being Human'', ''Merlin'' and ''Doctor Who''. He starred in feature-length films, such as ''A Horse with No Name'', and in a variety ...

, Tabatha Saville, Sarah Taylor,

Stafanie Taylor Stafanie Roxann Taylor (born 11 June 1991) is a Jamaican cricketer who is a former captain of the West Indies women's cricket team. She has represented West Indies women's cricket team, them over 250 times since her debut in 2008. A right-hand ...

– 1 each * WBBL Player of the Tournament: Sophie Devine – WBBL05 * WBBL Team of the Tournament: **Sophie Devine (4) – WBBL02, WBBL03, WBBL04, WBBL05 ** Darcie Brown (2) – WBBL06, WBBL07 ** Megan Schutt (2) – WBBL, 05, WBBL08 **Amanda-Jade Wellington (2) – WBBL, 07, WBBL, 08 ** Sarah Coyte – WBBL, 06 **Tahlia McGrath – WBBL, 07 * WBBL Young Gun Award: Darcie Brown – WBBL06

References

Notes

External links

* {{Adelaide Sports Teams Women's Big Bash League teams Cricket in South Australia Cricket clubs established in 2015 2015 establishments in Australia Sporting clubs in Adelaide