As the Melbourne Stars stepped onto the Junction Oval on November 10 to open their campaign in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) 2025 season, a special moment of cricketing significance will unfold. Their 24-year-old captain, Annabel Sutherland, achieved a major career milestone, her 100th WBBL appearance.
The landmark arrived in Match 4 of the ongoing 11th edition against the Adelaide Strikers, led by two-time title-winning skipper Tahlia McGrath. It marks a full-circle moment for Sutherland, who made her Melbourne Stars debut in this very fixture, against the Strikers, nearly eight years ago in 2018.
Few players embody the modern evolution of Australian domestic cricket like Sutherland. From her early teens, she was recognised as a player of promise, precise with the ball, composed with the bat, and relentless in her work ethic. Having debuted in the WBBL as a 15-year-old with the Melbourne Renegades on 27 December 2016 against Sydney Thunder, Sutherland’s initial four games were merely a glimpse of what was to come. But it was her move to the Melbourne Stars in 2018 that shaped her trajectory and turned her into one of the league’s most reliable all-rounders.
Her first appearance in green came on 9 January 2018, against the Adelaide Strikers in Adelaide, where she delivered her best bowling spell in WBBL history, 4 for 20 in four overs, even as her side narrowly lost by one wicket. That match set the tone for the kind of competitor Sutherland would become quietly fierce, consistently impactful, and often at the heart of key moments for the Stars.
Over the years, Sutherland has evolved into the heartbeat of the Melbourne Stars, both with bat and ball. In 81 innings batting for the franchise, she has amassed 1,319 runs at a strike rate of 105.26 and an average of 19.39. Her most memorable outing with the bat came on 18 November 2020 against the Hobart Hurricanes at Hurstville Oval, Sydney, where she powered her way to a fluent 72 off 51 balls, laced with five boundaries and two sixes. That innings not only delivered a 39-run win for the Stars but also earned her the Player of the Match honour, testament to her rising stature as a dependable match-winner.
With the ball, her record is equally impressive. Across 91 innings, Sutherland has picked up 89 wickets at an average of 23.15 and an economy of 7.18. Her ability to strike early and deliver under pressure has seen her produce three four-wicket hauls, underlining her identity as one of the most complete seam-bowling all-rounders in the league.
Now, as she leads the Stars into a fresh campaign, the sense of unfinished business looms large. Despite boasting individual stars and match-winners over the years, Melbourne Stars remain without a WBBL title. Their opponents, the Adelaide Strikers, have lifted the trophy twice in succession, 2022-23 and 2023-24, under McGrath’s leadership. That contrast adds extra motivation for Sutherland’s side as they look to translate individual brilliance into collective success.
For Sutherland, however, her century of appearances serves as a reminder of endurance, adaptability, and leadership maturity far beyond her years. At just 24, she has already journeyed through the early trials of teenage debut, the responsibility of national duty, and the pressure of captaining a franchise chasing its first crown. Every game she has played has reinforced her reputation as one of the most composed leaders in Australia’s domestic circuit.
As the Junction Oval prepares to celebrate one of its own, the milestone carries significance not just for Annabel Sutherland but for the entire Melbourne Stars unit, a symbol of sustained commitment and belief that the path to green glory is only a matter of time.
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