The 2017–18 Brisbane Heat Women's season was the third in the team's history. Coached by Peter McGiffin and captained by Kirby Short, the Heat finished the regular season of WBBL03 in fifth place and failed to qualify for the finals. For the third year in a row, Beth Mooney won the team's Most Valuable Player award.
Squad Each WBBL|03 squad featured 15 active players, with an allowance of up to five marquee signings including a maximum of three from overseas. Australian marquees were defined as players who made at least ten limited-overs appearances for the national team in the three years prior to the cut-off date (24 April 2017).
Personnel changes made ahead of the season included:
Peter McGiffin was appointed head coach of the Heat, replacing Andy Richards. India marquee Smriti Mandhana did not return to the Heat after sustaining a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament during WBBL|02. Grace Harris returned to the Heat, having spent one season at the Melbourne Renegades. South Africa marquee Laura Wolvaardt signed as a replacement player for Grace Harris who would be unavailable for most of the season while recovering from injury.
The table below lists the Heat players and their key stats (including runs scored, batting strike rate, wickets taken, economy rate, catches and stumpings) for the season. NameBirth dateBatting styleBowling styleNotes Batters36 Tess Cooper 27 September 1996 Right-handed –––––––– 17 Grace Harris Right-handed Right-arm off spin 4111115.6237.082– Australian marquee1 Laura Harris Right-handed –1460100.00––4–10 Kirby Short Right-handed Right-arm off spin 1430899.67––9– Captain 14 Laura Wolvaardt 26 April 1999 Right-handed –63259.25––2– Overseas marquee (replacement) All-rounders Rumana Ahmed Right-handed Right-arm leg spin ––––––– Associate rookie5 Deandra Dottin Right-handed Right-arm medium fast 1417189.0686.481– Overseas marquee21 Jess Jonassen Left-handed Left-arm orthodox spin 14203120.11116.456–Australian marquee11 Delissa Kimmince Right-handed Right-arm medium 14229117.43116.043– Wicketkeepers6 Beth Mooney Left-handed –14465143.51––93 Australian marquee Bowlers 15 Jemma Barsby Left-handed Right-arm off spin 133088.23136.072–23 Haidee Birkett 23 June 1996 Right-handed Right-arm medium 143382.50106.644–9 Holly Ferling Right-handed Right-arm medium fast 1423100.0047.113– Australian marquee22 Courtney Hill Right-handed Right-arm medium fast 1––––0–58 Sammy-Jo Johnson Right-handed Right-arm medium fast 143168.88106.761–16 Georgia Prestwidge Right-handed Right-arm medium fast 40–––0–26 Kara Sutherland Left-handed Left-arm medium fast –––––––
Ladder
Fixtures Regular season
All times are local time
Statistics and awards
Most runs: Beth Mooney – 465 (4th in the league) Highest score in an innings: Delissa Kimmince – 87* (54) vs Perth Scorchers, 10 December 2017 Most wickets: Jemma Barsby – 13 (equal 17th in the league) Best bowling figures in an innings: Jemma Barsby – 4/2 (2 overs) vs Sydney Thunder, 28 January 2018 Most catches (fielder): Kirby Short – 9 (equal 3rd in the league) Player of the Match awards: Beth Mooney – 4 Deandra Dottin, Grace Harris, Kirby Short – 1 each Heat Most Valuable Player: Beth Mooney WBBL|03 Player of the Tournament: Beth Mooney (equal 4th) WBBL|03 Team of the Tournament: Beth Mooney
References