Women's Big Bash League 2022-23: Decoding the notable records scripted
What's the story
Adelaide Strikers clinched their maiden Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) title by thrashing Sydney Sixers by 10 runs in the final. Chasing 148, the Sixers suffered a top-order collapse. Although the middle-order batters put up a valiant fight, their efforts went in vain. Deandra Dottin starred for Strikers, scoring 52* and claiming 2/30. Here we decode the key records of the tournament.
Summary
How did the final match pan out?
Adelaide Strikers posted 147/5 in their 20 overs after opting to bat at the North Sydney Oval. While Katie Mack (31) and Tahila McGrath (24) threw away their starts, Dottin scored an unbeaten half-century. Sophie Ecclestone claimed 2/19 in four overs. In reply, the Sixers lost wickets at regular intervals and were bundled out for 137. Dottin and Darcie Brown took two wickets apiece.
Mooney
Beth Mooney finishes as the highest run-getter
Though Perth Scorchers could not clear the league stage, their opener Beth Mooney finished the competition as the highest run-getter. She scored 434 runs in just 13 games at 43.3 (SR: 120.56). No other batter could score 400 runs in the league stage. While Mooney scored three half-centuries, she was the only batter with two scores of 90 or more in the tournament.
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First to complete 4,000 WBBL runs
Meanwhile, Mooney, during the course of the tournament, became the first batter to complete 4,000 BBL runs. Her current tally reads 4,108 runs in 117 games at 46.68. While her strike rate reads 122.48, Mooney has 36 fifties and two tons under her belt.
Schutt
Megan Schutt finishes as the highest wicket-taker
Adelaide's Megan Schutt, who claimed 1/25 in the final, finished the competition as the highest wicket-taker. The veteran right-arm pacer scalped 27 wickets in just 15 games at an economy rate of 6.36. The tally includes two four-wicket hauls alongside a fifer. Schutt, who completed 100 WBBL wickets, now boasts 114 wickets in 113 matches. She is the joint-fourth-highest wicket-taker in the competition history.
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Best figures in WBBL history
Meanwhile, Schutt also became the first bowler to claim a six-wicket haul in WBBL history. She returned with figures of 6/19 in 3.3 overs against Sydney Thunder in the league stage. Schutt displaced her Strikers teammate Amanda Wellington (5/8) at the top.
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Amanda Wellington first bowler with multiple fifers
Meanwhile, Wellington also claimed a five-for in the competition, 5/8 vs Melbourne Renegades in the league stage. Having registered identical figures against Brisbane Heat last season, the leg-spinner became the first bowler to record multiple five-wicket hauls in WBBL.
Highest score
Alyssa Healy only centurion in the tournament
Interestingly, only one individual century was recorded across the 59 games in the tournament. The ton belongs to Sixers' Alyssa Healy, who scored an unbeaten 64-ball 107 against Perth Scorchers in the league stage. It was Healy's fifth hundred in the WBBL. No other batter has touched the three-figure mark more than thrice in the history of the competition.
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Jess Jonassen continues to be on top
Brisbane Heat's Jess Jonassen finished the tournament as the second-highest wicket-taker with 25 scalps in 16 games. The left-arm spinner further consolidated her position as the leading wicket-taker in WBBL history. Jonassen now boasts 137 scalps in 119 games.
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Maiden title for Adelaide Strikers
Meanwhile, Adelaide Strikers clinched their maiden WBBL title in their eighth attempt. They are the only team to feature in three finals of the last four seasons. The Strikers failed to cross the final hurdle in the 2019-20 and 2021-22 editions.