In women’s cricket, Annabel Sutherland, 23-year-old rising gun has established herself as one of the most promising all-round players, excelling in a variety of formats. Sutherland has been in outstanding form, having dominated the Women’s Ashes, performed well in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), and is now aiming for the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
At the WPL 2024 auction, Delhi Capitals secured her services for INR 2 crore, making her one of the most expensive players. Her ability to contribute with both bat and ball has made her a valued asset.
“I don’t think there’s one specific thing. I think I’m quite versatile in terms of the changeups I’ve got – I’ve got decent pace too – so I think it’s just about assessing the conditions of every wicket you play on,” Sutherland said.
Sutherland’s performance during the Ashes was evidence of her growing prominence in the world of cricket. In the 2024 one-off Test match against South Africa at the WACA, she scored an incredible 210 runs and claimed five wickets, delivering a knock that would define her career. Her status as a full-fledged all-rounder was cemented by that outstanding feat.
She remarked, “Proud, I’ve been able to contribute especially to the Australian team and stand up in different moments, which has been nice.” Only recently, her remarkable efforts across formats were acknowledged when she won the Belinda Clark Award at the Cricket Australia Awards for her reliability in international cricket.
Sutherland made a smooth transition from Australian conditions to the WPL’s demanding atmosphere. She has collected eight wickets in 8 matches for Delhi Capitals in 2025, with the best bowling performance of 3/34 against Mumbai Indians. She has also scored 93 runs at a strike rate of 127.39 while batting, including a high of 41* vs UP Warriorz.
Her bowling variations, especially her off-cutter, which she initially honed in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), are credited with helping her be versatile. “I realised I had to work on a change-up to make it a little bit harder for batters. The off-cutter is my go-to one early,” she explained.
Sutherland also emphasised the variation between playing in the WPL and WBBL, highlighting the distinct energy of Indian audiences. “Not intimidated. I think you’re going to embrace it. They’re probably louder than 86,000 at the ‘G,” she quoted, comparing the electric atmosphere at Chinnaswamy Stadium to the historic MCG final.
Sutherland is committed to making sure Australia continues to be the top nation in the sport and has her eyes on the Women’s Cricket World Cup scheduled to be held in India later this year. India will host the Women’s Cricket World Cup for the fourth time, following hosting in 1978, 1997, and 2013. This will be the tournament’s thirteenth edition.
The competition was last won by Australia in 2022, and they will be looking to win it for the eighth time. Sutherland is aware that she has an extra edge because she has had the opportunity to become acquainted with Indian pitches and circumstances through her participation in the WPL.
“The key part of a World Cup is you’re moving around changing venues. You want to get as much intel as possible before playing the game. I think it’d be at the back of everyone’s minds that the World Cup is coming up,” she said.
Sutherland’s exploits in the Ashes, WPL, and World Cup preparations demonstrate her enormous potential as she continues to develop into one of the best all-round players in global cricket. She has demonstrated that she thrives on the big stage, whether it is by playing game-winning knocks, taking vital wickets, or performing well under pressure.
All eyes will be on Sutherland as she attempts to assist Australia in defending their title and continuing her quick ascent in the sport as the World Cup approaches.
(Quotes sourced from ESPN Cricinfo)
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