The 2017–18 Perth Scorchers Women's season was the third in the team's history. Coached by Lisa Keightley and captained by Elyse Villani, the Scorchers ended the regular season of WBBL03 in third place. They then defeated the Sydney Thunder by 27 runs in a semi-final at Optus Stadium to set up a re-match of the previous year's final against the Sydney Sixers. In the championship decider, held at Adelaide Oval, the Scorchers suffered a heavy nine-wicket loss to once again finish the tournament as runners-up.
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 ahead of the season included:
New Zealand marquee Suzie Bates departed the Scorchers, signing with the Adelaide Strikers. Meg Lanning signed with the Scorchers, departing the Melbourne Stars. However, due to a shoulder injury, Lanning would be unavailable for the entire season. New Zealand's Thamsyn Newton was subsequently signed as a marquee replacement player. Due to the departure of Bates (outgoing captain with a 9–7 win–loss record) and the unavailability of Lanning, Elyse Villani assumed the captaincy for the season. England marquee Nat Sciver signed with the Scorchers, departing the Melbourne Stars. Mikayla Hinkley signed with the Scorchers, departing the Sydney Thunder.
Changes made during the season included the signing of Taneale Peschel as a local replacement player. Peschel played two games in the absence of Katherine Brunt who was sidelined with a back injury.
The table below lists the Scorchers players and their key stats (including runs scored, batting strike rate, wickets taken, economy rate, catches and stumpings) for the season. Name Birth date Batting style Bowling style Notes Batters22 Lauren Ebsary Right-handed Right-arm medium16159116.05––6– 1 Mikayla Hinkley Right-handed Right-arm medium51173.33––3– 7 Meg Lanning Right-handed Right-arm medium––––––– Australian marquee 28 Chloe Piparo Right-handed Right-arm off spin2240.00––0– 39 Natalie Sciver Right-handed Right-arm medium fast16339118.5347.7813– Overseas marquee3 Elyse Villani Right-handed Right-arm medium16535125.8806.009– Captain, Australian marquee All-rounders12 Nicole Bolton Left-handed Right-arm off spin16482101.4786.334– Australian marquee5 Mathilda Carmichael Right-handed Right-arm medium fast64095.23––2– 11 Heather Graham Right-handed Right-arm medium1513689.47146.964– Ravina Oa Right-handed Right-arm medium––––––– Associate rookie Wicket-keepers4 Megan Banting Right-handed Right-arm medium61147.82––0– 33 Emily Smith Right-handed Right-arm medium1600.00––23 Bowlers26 Katherine Brunt Right-handed Right-arm fast1410483.87234.834– Overseas marquee8 Piepa Cleary Right-handed Right-arm medium fast154397.72136.123– 16 Katie-Jane Hartshorn Right-handed Left-arm wrist spin1––09.750– 2 Emma King Right-handed Right-arm off spin16964.28156.002– 79 Thamsyn Newton Right-handed Right-arm medium fast145096.1569.431– Overseas marquee (replacement)6Taneale Peschel29 August 1994Right-handedRight-arm medium fast2––19.200–Local replacement
Ladder
Fixtures All times are local time
Regular season
Knockout phase
Statistics and awards
Most runs: Elyse Villani – 535 (2nd in the league) Highest score in an innings: Elyse Villani – 84* (53) vs Melbourne Stars, 26 December 2017 Most wickets: Katherine Brunt – 23 (equal 1st in the league) Best bowling figures in an innings: Katherine Brunt – 3/11 (4 overs) vs Melbourne Renegades, 28 January 2018 Most catches (fielder): Nat Sciver – 13 (1st in the league) Player of the Match awards: Nicole Bolton, Elyse Villani – 3 each Katherine Brunt, Emma King, Nat Sciver – 1 each Scorchers Player of the Year: Katherine Brunt WBBL|03 Player of the Tournament: Elyse Villani (2nd) WBBL|03 Team of the Tournament: Nicole Bolton, Katherine Brunt, Elyse Villani
References