Perth Scorchers is one of the eight teams that will feature in the seventh edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). The WBBL starts from October 14. Perth Scorchers have a strong squad of 15, out of which three are overseas players, including one player each from New Zealand (Sophie Devine), South Africa (Marizanne Kapp) and Sri Lanka (Chamari Athapaththu).
Squad: Sophie Devine (captain), Beth Mooney, Chamari Athapaththu (SL), Marizanne Kapp (SA), Samantha Betts, Mathilda Carmichael, Piepa Cleary, Ashley Day, Amy Edgar, Heather Graham, Lisa Griffith, Alana King, Lilly Mills, Taneale Peschel, Chloe Piparo
Squad analysis
Sophie Devine:
The New Zealand captain will be the captain of the Perth Scorchers. She is one of the best all-rounders in the world. She has had two wonderful outings in the WBBL during season six and five, winning the player of the tournament. She will look for a hat-trick going into this season.
Beth Mooney:
The stylish southpaw is an attacking bat and can bat any number. She can open the batting as well as finish the games coming in the middle order. She is an excellent fielder. She is in red hot form after a stellar performance against India in the recently concluded multi-format series.
Chamari Athapaththu:
The Sri Lanka captain is a good all-rounder. She is a power hitter and can clear boundaries with ease. Prior to signing up for Scorchers, she was with Renegades. Though she has not performed that well in WBBL she has a good record in Australia, especially at the WACA, where Scorchers will play three matches.
Marizanne Kapp:
The South African all-rounder is a right hand bat and right arm seamer. The inclusion of Kapp gives Perth Scorchers more potency to their bowling attack. With the bat, she is more than handy having scored over a 1000 runs in T20Is.
Samantha Betts:
The right arm quick was a part of Adelaide Strikers before. This is her second season with the Scorchers. She is a good swing bowler and bowls with paramount discipline.
Mathilda Carmichael:
She is a right hand bat who plays her domestic cricket for Western Australia. She joined the Perth Scorchers ahead of the 2016-17 season, after some prolific performances for New South Wales in age group cricket.
Piepa Cleary:
She is a talented right arm seamer and has been with the Scorchers since season one. She has played 48 matches and picked up 35 wickets, including the best of 3-16 in her WBBL career so far.
Ashley Day:
She was a part of the Hobart Hurricanes squad in WBBL|04 and featured in a couple of matches. She is a right hand bat and right arm leg spinner. She plays her domestic cricket for Western Australia.
Amy Edgar:
She is a right hand bat and a right arm speedster. She represents Western Australia at the domestic level. This will be her first WBBL season.
Heather Graham:
She is an experienced all-rounder, who is a right hand bat and right arm quick. She was the leading wicket-taker for the side with 15 wickets in WBBL|05. Apart from her bowling, her contributions with the bat in the middle order have been valuable. She has played 86 WBBL matches, picked up 84 wickets in 83 innings and scored 829 runs in 66 innings.
Lisa Griffith:
She was a part of Sydney Sixers before joining the Scorchers for this season. Before Sixers, she was a part of Sydney Thunder for three seasons. Griffith is a genuine allrounder, who bowls medium pace and bats anywhere in the top-to-middle order. She has played 13 WBBL matches, scored 63 runs in 12 innings and picked 13 wickets in 29 innings.
Alana King:
Before joining Scorchers, the leg spinner was a part of Melbourne Stars. There is no doubt that with her wily leg spin she will bring variety to the bowling attack. She has been the Stars’ all-time leading wicket-taker. In the last season, she scalped 16 wickets in 12 matches, which was rewarded with a selection in the official WBBL|06 Team of the Tournament. Apart from her bowling, she is a power hitter. Last season, she faced just 27 balls but plundered 62 runs, including six sixes.
Lilly Mills:
She was a part of Brisbane Heat squad last season, which was her second for the team, having made her WBBL debut in season five. She is a right arm seamer. She has featured in just one WBBL match so far. She plays her domestic cricket for Queensland.
Taneale Peschel:
She made her WBBL debut in 2017 playing for the Scorchers. She is an upcoming all-rounder, who is a right hand bat and right arm quick. She has played 42 WBBL matches, scored 36 runs in 13 innings and picked 32 wickets in 42 innings. In 2011, she was called up to represent Australia in the World Women’s Indoor Cricket Championships in South Africa.
Chloe Piparo:
She has been with the Scorchers since season one. This pocket-sized dynamo is a right hand bat and an occasional right arm off spinner. She has captained Australia at Under 18 level and scored a century for her country too. She has played 74 WBBL matches and has scored 395 runs in 44 innings.
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.