Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland, who is only 24 years old, has established herself as a vital member of the formidable Australian set-up by combining sharp bowling and explosive batting in all formats.
She had announced her decision to skip the fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in January-February 2026, not because she wasn’t committed, but rather to give mental and physical rest amidst a demanding international schedule. She recently won her second consecutive Belinda Clark Award.
Sutherland, who was retained by Delhi Capitals for INR 2.2 crore, opted out of WPL 2026 due to personal reasons, making room for leg-spinner Alana King. As Australia prepares for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England and Wales and hosts India in a multi-format series, this selection highlights her unwavering drive for improvement.
Annabel Sutherland’s achievements cap off a stellar year in the green and gold, placing her in exclusive company as the fifth woman to win back-to-back Belinda Clark Awards. She is redefining all-around excellence with six international hundreds already, surpassing Ellyse Perry’s five. Sutherland is still hungry, though.
After accepting the award, she remarked, “I mean, it’s one of the things I love about the game of cricket, especially as an all-rounder, there are always ways to improve your game.” Her impressive Test average of 83.71 from nine innings (586 runs, second only to Perry’s 930 among current squad members) and 40.87 in ODIs from 49 games, where she has pushed past seasoned players like Tahlia McGrath to the top five since late 2024, speak for themselves.
Although bowling is still her X-factor and a vital tool in all formats, her goal ahead of the big ICC event remains to master her T20I batting, where she currently averages 11.41 at a strike rate of 135.66 from 22 innings in 46 games, frequently at No. 7 or lower. The speed at which women’s cricket is rising demands change, especially with the rising depth of teams like India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, who stunned Australia by 21 runs (DLS method) in the first Twenty20 International of the ongoing series (February 15 to March 6, 2026), taking a 1-0 lead.
Additionally, it was India’s first victory over Australia in a Twenty20 International (T20I) in Australia in six years, following their campaign opener against Australia at the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Sutherland’s WPL pullout stemmed from a packed calendar. Australia endured a mentally and physically taxing seven-to-eight weeks at last year’s World Cup in India, followed by immediate Big Bash duties. “Just the way the schedule was pretty busy for a few months, seven or eight weeks in India at a World Cup certainly tough mentally and physically. I think probably just knowing I couldn’t quite give my absolute best to Delhi was the main reason behind deciding not to play,” she explained.
With the India series ending March 6, a Caribbean tour looming from March 13, and T20 World Cup prep ramping up by late May, she chose a vital reset. “I think I was just trying to prioritise my mental and physical well-being and find a window to freshen up a little bit, given what’s ahead,” Sutherland added.
Annabel Sutherland is adamant about maintaining her lead, showing no room for complacency “The international game’s moving pretty quickly. We see with the likes of India, the depth that’s coming through and the talent that’s coming through, you’ve got to stay a step ahead as much as you can, always finding ways to get better and finding little windows to work on things.”
Sutherland watched from the sidelines as Smriti Mandhana’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Jemimah Rodrigues’ Delhi Capitals by six wickets on February 5 at Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium to win their second WPL title. On the other hand, she was planning her next big move as a prominent all-rounder in the women’s game.
(Quotes sourced from cricket.com.au)
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