Cricket Australia is all set to open a new chapter as the captains of five top-ranked international teams step up to the crease for the maiden Weber WBBL Overseas Player Draft.
Harmanpreet Kaur of India, Sophie Devine of New Zealand, Suné Luus from South Africa, West Indies’ Hayley Matthews, and Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu are all in the running for the Draft slated for Sunday, 3 September.
Interestingly, Luus, the Proteas skipper, is the only player among the quintet who does not qualify for a retention pick. If she manages to score a spot, it will mark her return to the Big Bash League after a four-year hiatus, having previously represented Brisbane Heat in WBBL|04.
On the other hand, Melbourne Renegades will face the challenging task of choosing between Kaur, Matthews, and Athapaththu, all of whom are eligible for retention. The Perth Scorchers also find themselves in a similar conundrum with their previous season’s captain, Devine, available for retention.
Kaur, a dynamic all-rounder who has captained India to numerous victories on the international pitch, had to bow out from WBBL|08 due to a back injury. The Indian skipper will be keen to bring her A-game to the tournament this season if selected.
Devine, currently ranking fourth globally for T20 batting and sixth as an all-rounder, holds the record for the quickest century in a women’s T20 (36 balls). Her dominant batting style and nuanced bowling have made her a formidable opponent on the pitch.
Proteas captain Luus, a potent bowling all-rounder, led her team to the final of the 2023 T20 World Cup. Her selection for WBBL|09 would mark only her second appearance in the competition.
Hayley Matthews, presently standing second in the world as a T20 all-rounder and sixth in bowling, has an impressive T20 track record, having amassed 1716 runs at a strike rate of 105.08 and taken 86 wickets in 85 matches.
Chamari Athapaththu, ranked in the top ten globally for T20 batters, is renowned for her stellar performance against Australia in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017, where she scored the second-highest individual score in Women’s World Cup history.
Cricket Australia’s General Manager of Big Bash Leagues, Alistair Dobson, stated, “We are thrilled to announce the nominations of Kaur, Devine, Luus, Matthews, and Athapaththu for the inaugural WBBL Overseas Player Draft. These players have not only excelled as international captains but have also left an indelible mark on the game of cricket.”
With the Weber WBBL Overseas Player Draft taking place on 3 September, the teams are on tenterhooks, keen to secure the world’s best players in their squads, adding a fresh dimension of competitiveness to the League.
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