WBBL 2019 standout player, biggest dud, best quote – Carey, Tryon, Devine, BCCI, Blackwell, Litchfield feature in Week 1 wrap

It is still early days in the 2019-20 Women’s Big Bash League, but we have already witnessed a 73 all out, Chloe Tryon’s savage hitting, Nicola Carey’s Melbourne show, the omnipresent Sophie Devine, Sydney Sixers’ change of fortune, and a match held up due to burnt toast. Here is a round-up of the first week.

Standout players – Carey, Tryon, and Devine

With 4-0-27-2 and a 46-ball unbeaten 60, Nicola Carey produced the performance of the tournament so far, against Melbourne Stars. Only eight matches have been played, but this will take some beating.

Nobody has a better strike rate in T20 Internationals than Chloe Tryon. If anything, she has found going even easier here: she is yet to be dismissed in the tournament, and has scored 46 in 18 balls and 29 in 18, smashing a boundary in just over 3 balls. Missing the Indian tour has obviously not blunted her abilities.

You cannot keep Sophie Devine out of action, can you? If her 120 runs (once dismissed, strike rate 160) is not enough, she has also returned figures of 8-0-48-3. Ellyse Perry has put up a solid show, but Devine is some distance ahead.

Biggest dud – BCCI

A month ago, BCCI had announced that Indian cricketers will not be part of the 2019 WBBL to ensure they get sufficient time before their tour of West Indies. This meant that Harmanpreet Kaur (part of Sydney Thunder), Smriti Mandhana (Hobart Hurricanes), and Jemimah Rodrigues (on the radar of multiple teams) all missed out.

Interestingly, West Indian captain Stafanie Taylor is playing for Adelaide Strikers.

Standout moment – a two-generation stand

Chasing 151 against Brisbane Heat, Sydney Thunder were in some pressure of 56/3. Alex Blackwell and Phoebe Litchfield then got together to finish things off with 9 balls to spare.

The catch? Blackwell had made her international debut before Litchfield was born. At 16 years 185 days, Litchfield became the youngest to score a fifty in WBBL history.

This was Sunday. Of course, Litchfield had to return to school the next morning.

Room for improvement – the Stars’ death bowling

Twice in the tournament have the Stars put the Hurricanes under pressure – at 101/5 in 15.3 overs and 73/5 in 12.2 overs (while defending 137). On both occasions they let the Hurricanes off the hook: they put up 164/5 in the first match and chased down with 9 balls to spare in the second.

That is something they need to address.

Best quote

@Delissak didn’t know you were in Melbourne?!
– A match between the Stars and the Hurricanes was held up after a burnt toast had set off the fire alarm. Sure enough, the WBBL Twitter handle trolled Delissa Kimmince, whose burnt toast had similarly held up a match between Australia Women and Sri Lanka Women.