WBBL Wrap: Incredible numbers behind Adelaide Strikers’ bowler Darcie Brown’s rise

Established Aussie stars reminded us of their quality, while unheralded players continue to show why the tournament is one of the best platforms in the world for domestic cricketers to make a name for themselves.

Here are the key talking points from the third weekend of WBBL action.

Darcie Brown’s new-ball form

The teenager from Kapunda continues to break out of her shell as she took career-best T20 figures against the Heat this week.

Finishing with 4-16, she dismissed four of Brisbane’s top six and was getting the new ball to move around beautifully. Three of her dismissals were caught by Tegan McPharlin, producing just enough movement each time to catch the outside edge.

Brown combined with Megan Schutt to take eight wickets for the match, the damaging duo with a display of what’s to come from the Strikers if they can continue that form.

Brown has quickly become a fixture of the Australian side over the past two years with her raw pace exciting selectors. But she has now worked on her craft and is taking more wickets than before.

From her previous two seasons in the WBBL, her averages were 22.10 and 16.85 respectively – both fantastic figures in their own right.

In just six matches in WBBL08, Brown has taken 11 wickets at an average of 11.09. Only the miserly Sophie Ecclestone (9.41) sits above her in that category.

This year has also been Brown’s best in terms of economy rate. She has only been conceding 5.30 runs an over, a phenomenal effort for a bowler so often used through the powerplay.

Her international average in T20 cricket sits at almost 24, a solid figure for a bowler of her potential. If her season for the Strikers is a sign of things to come, Brown could be in for a big T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2023.

Alyssa Healy fires back

There’s no hiding it had been a tough WBBL season so far for Alyssa Healy.

Despite the Sixers’ strong start, Healy had only scored 67 runs at an average of 13.4 through the opening five matches. The majority of that came from one score of 43 against the Stars in Mackay.

However, the dynamic opener roared to life in Ballarat, with 78 off 54 balls as the Sixers beat the Renegades and went back to the top of the table.

It was Healy’s first score of 50+ since her heroics in the World Cup final in April, and it featured a lot of vintage stroke play.

She cleared the boundary on three occasions and looked more comfortable taking on bowlers. Often this season she has been dismissed after being caught on the circle, failing to hit it over the infield. She faced no such problem against the Renegades with the middle of her bat getting a solid workout.

Her opening partner, Suzie Bates, has been far more consistent this season meaning Healy has had time to find her form. Sunday also showed how much Healy can benefit from having a player like Bates down the other end. Both players took turns accelerating the strike rate meaning neither felt the pressure to score quickly.

If this combination continues to grow, the Sixers will feel even more comfortable with their batting line-up as a return to the finals approaches.

Unlikely saviours making a name for themselves

The Scorchers and Strikers comfortably sit inside the top four and with their talented squads, look set for finals action again.

However, they’ve been forced to rely on their depth a lot throughout the tournament with some unheralded names stepping up when the pressure was really on.

Amy Edgar has played a crucial middle-order role for the Scorchers so far this season, scoring 93 runs at an average of 46.50.

That includes scores of 27* and 36* this weekend. Her knock against the Heat was particularly impressive, coming in at 4-85 and hitting two sixes as she propelled Perth to a defendable target.

It’s a similar story for Maddie Penna at the Strikers. With 146 runs to her name, at a remarkable average of 73, she has played her hand brilliantly.

She’s only been dismissed once in her past four innings, and played a key anchor role as the Strikers notched wins over the Heat and Scorchers.

We haven’t seen the best of Tahlia McGrath or Laura Wolvaardt yet this tournament, so the fact the Strikers can rely on Penna to steady the ship will be integral to their finals hopes.

Weather and pitches impacting quality

Match abandoned. It’s a cricketer‘s least, or most, favourite words to hear as they watch the rain set in.

Thankfully we only had the one match called off this weekend, but that takes the tally to three this season – including both of the Stars-Thunder clashes.

It’s one of the dangers of the current scheduling strategy of the WBBL. This weekend featured four matches, and five teams, in Ballarat. One game was abandoned, one was reduced to 12 overs a side and another saw the quickest five overs in history as the Sixers pushed for a result against the Renegades.

The threat of weather, especially at regional venues that aren’t as well equipped to deal with rain, is ever-present. But it also makes conditions hard for the players.

The Melbourne Derby saw a lot of inconsistent bounce off the wicket – Annabel Sutherland taking three wickets as the Renegades struggled to cope with the way the ball was reacting off the pitch.

This season has already seen Cricket NSW and the Big Bash move fixtures from Blacktown to North Sydney due to disappointing pitches, and if there had been more matches scheduled in Ballarat the conversations may have started again.

There is no doubting the importance of playing the WBBL at regional venues. But with the weather continuing to have an impact on wicket preparation, the ever-improving quality of the WBBL means the competition deserves the best grounds the country has to offer.

More support needs to be given to venues like Ballarat to ensure that when the WBBL comes to town in the future, they’re given the best opportunity to succeed.