The Sydney Sixers will make signing a new wicketkeeper one of their first priorities when the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) 12 contracting embargo is lifted, as the team prepares for its first season without retired great Alyssa Healy.
Healy’s retirement has left the Sixers with one of the biggest gaps in the competition to fill ahead of WBBL 12. The former Australia captain was a key part of the team for more than a decade, contributing as a powerful opening batter, a wicketkeeper and an experienced senior player. She played 129 WBBL matches for the Sixers, scoring 3,125 runs with five centuries and 15 half-centuries.
Behind the stumps, she also took 60 catches and completed 45 stumpings. Her retirement in March brought an end to an important era for the two-time champions, although her connection with the club will continue.
Sixers general manager Rachael Haynes said Healy is still closely involved in discussions about the team’s plans and player list as the club prepares for the new season and waits for the league-wide contracting freeze to be lifted.
“I was chatting to her over text; she’s still well and truly engaged in the club and lists and those things,” Haynes said. “It is a priority to make sure we’ve got gloves behind the stumps, and then obviously we can work on the flexibility of our squad from there. We’ve been chatting to a couple of players, and it’ll be high on our list when that embargo lifts.”
The wicketkeeping position will be one of the biggest decisions for new Sixers coach Peter Clarke and could have a major effect on the balance of the team’s playing XI. Healy’s ability to combine powerful top-order batting with excellent wicketkeeping meant the Sixers rarely had to make changes or compromises in other areas of their team. Finding one player who can provide a similar combination will be a difficult task.
Emma Manix-Geeves is one possible option after standing in as Healy’s backup wicketkeeper when she was unavailable last season. However, Manix-Geeves is currently out of contract. This means the Sixers could also look at the overseas market to find an experienced wicketkeeper-batter who can take on an important role in the team this season.
The Sixers’ squad for WBBL 12 currently includes Caoimhe Bray, Maitlan Brown, Lauren Cheatle, Ashleigh Gardner, Elsa Hunter, New Zealand’s Melie Kerr, Ellyse Perry and Courtney Sippel. Erin Burns, Mathilda Carmichael, Lauren Kua and Emma Manix-Geeves are currently off contract, while Healy is the team’s confirmed departure following her retirement. The club will now have to carefully manage its remaining list decisions before the new season begins.
The lifting of this year’s contracting embargo has been delayed because of uncertainty around privatisation and its possible effect on the contracting structure. A return to direct overseas player signings, instead of the draft system, is also likely this season. This could give the Sixers more options as they search for the right player to fill the wicketkeeping position.
“We’re working through what the contracting model looks like for this season,” league boss Alistair Dobson said earlier this month. “The way our overseas players are contracted into the WBBL and BBL are a really important part of that. There’s lots of movement in different parts of the sport at the moment and the club player market is one of those.”
The Sixers have had a stable core since the WBBL began, with Australian stars Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner part of the squad alongside Healy since WBBL 01. Healy’s retirement is therefore one of the most important changes the club has faced since the competition began.
The club has also completed a coaching change, with Peter Clarke taking over as the women’s head coach on a two-year contract after Matthew Mott moved into the Sixers’ men’s program. Clarke will combine his Sixers role with his responsibilities with the NSW Breakers and already has strong relationships with several players. He also worked as an assistant coach with the Sixers during WBBL 11.
With a strong group of experienced players already in place, the Sixers now have one clear priority before WBBL 12. They need to find a wicketkeeper who can help fill the huge gap left by Healy and give the team the balance it needs to compete for another WBBL title. Replacing a club legend will not be easy, but the Sixers will hope their next signing can help them start a successful new chapter.
(Quotes sourced from cricket.com.au)
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