The 2021–22 Sydney Thunder Women's season was the seventh in the team's history. Coached by Trevor Griffin, the Thunder entered WBBL07 as the defending champions but ended the regular season in seventh place on the ladder, recording their worst finishing position across the league's first seven editions. Due to ongoing border restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were not scheduled to play any games in their home state of New South Wales for the season. After captain Rachael Haynes announced she would be unlikely to participate in the season due to family reasons, Hannah Darlington was appointed to stand in as Haynes' replacement.
Squad Each 2021–22 squad was made up of 15 active players. Teams could sign up to five 'marquee players', with a maximum of three of those from overseas. Marquees were defined as any overseas player, or a local player who holds a Cricket Australia national contract at the start of the WBBL|07 signing period.
Personnel changes made ahead of the season included:
English marquees Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont did not re-sign with the Thunder in anticipation of a clashing schedule with national team duties. South African marquee Shabnim Ismail initially re-signed with the Thunder but withdrew from the tournament due to injury. Indian marquee Smriti Mandhana signed with the Thunder, returning to the league after previously playing for the Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes. Indian marquee Deepti Sharma and English marquee Issy Wong signed with the Thunder, marking their first appearances in the leagues. Rachel Trenaman departed the Thunder, signing with the Hobart Hurricanes. Corinne Hall signed with the Thunder, departing the Hobart Hurricanes. Having planned to miss the opening weeks while on parental leave, Rachael Haynes announced she would only be able to re-join the team later in the tournament pending sufficient changes to state border closures. Changes made during the season included:
Emily Smith was signed as a local replacement player, replacing Tahlia Wilson (leg injury) for one game on 16 October 2021.
The table below lists the Thunder players and their key stats (including runs scored, batting strike rate, wickets taken, economy rate, catches and stumpings) for the season. NameBirth dateBatting styleBowling styleNotesBatters29Corinne Hall12 October 1987Right-handedRight-arm off spin109083.33––1–15Rachael Haynes26 December 1986Left-handedLeft-arm medium–––––––Captain, Australian marquee4Anika Learoyd14 April 2002Right-handedRight-arm leg spin119278.63015.501–36Phoebe Litchfield18 April 2003Left-handedRight-arm leg spin13263109.12––9–81Smriti Mandhana18 July 1996Left-handedRight-arm off spin13377130.44––4–Overseas marqueeAll-rounders58Sammy-Jo Johnson5 November 1992Right-handedRight-arm medium fast11146125.86107.661–33Kate Peterson3 December 2002Right-handedRight-arm medium fast700.00110.333–14Olivia Porter14 November 2001Right-handedRight-arm medium–––––––24Deepti Sharma24 August 1997Left-handedRight-arm off spin13211106.56137.158–Overseas marqueeWicket-keepers3Emily Smith19 January 1995Right-handed–15125.00––02Injury replacement21Tahlia Wilson21 October 1999Right-handed–1217881.65––32Bowlers34Samantha Bates17 August 1992Right-handedLeft-arm orthodox13266.66125.762–25Hannah Darlington25 January 2002Right-handedRight-arm medium1360105.26166.384–Acting captain12Jessica Davidson3 May 2003Right-handedRight-arm medium fast–––––––2Lauren Smith6 October 1996Right-handedRight-arm off spin1341105.1248.663–8Issy Wong15 May 2002Right-handedRight-arm medium fast1356155.5597.272–Overseas marquee
Ladder
Fixtures
All times are local
Statistics and awards
Most runs: Smriti Mandhana – 377 (10th in the league) Highest score in an innings: Smriti Mandhana – 114* (64) vs Melbourne Renegades, 17 November 2021 Most wickets: Hannah Darlington – 16 (equal 5th in the league) Best bowling figures in an innings: Deepti Sharma – 3/13 (4 overs) vs Hobart Hurricanes, 31 October 2021 Most catches (fielder): Phoebe Litchfield – 9 (4th in the league) Player of the Match awards: Samantha Bates, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Issy Wong – 1 each WBBL|07 Team of the Tournament: Hannah Darlington WBBL|07 Young Gun Award: Phoebe Litchfield Alex Blackwell Medallist: Smriti Mandhana
References