We analyse some of the top performing bowlers heading into WBBL|03 to help your Big Bash Fantasy selections
WBBL|03 Fantasy guide: Bowlers
The Rebel WBBL Opening Weekend is nearly upon us and with it, the start of Big Bash Fantasy's new WBBL Fantasy game.
Take part in the WBBL|03 and play with a fresh team every day over 34 match days, featuring all 59 matches! There's a great cash prize every day and a $10,000 tournament grand prize to be won.
It's simple and free to enter and play.
1. Join the game and start playing today.
2. Pick a fresh squad of five players from all teams playing on each match day. Play any day and every day!
3. Create or join a league and take on your mates.
It’s not all just about the big hits in the WBBL – a good bowling attack is essential for every team. From the spin bowlers who give the batters something to think about, to the pace bowlers that keep them on their toes, there’s plenty to consider when picking your two daily bowlers in WBBL Big Bash Fantasy.
Adelaide Strikers:
Suzie Bates
Bowling | 16 innings | 13 wickets | 126 dots | 6.57 economy rate |26.50 average | 24.20 strike rate
WBBL| 02 fantasy points* | 920
The New Zealand allrounder and former Perth Scorcher will be a welcome addition at the Strikers this year as they look to climb off the bottom of the WBBL ladder. While her batting may be eye-catching, Bates is nevertheless a strong prospect with the ball. She took 13 wickets last summer as she captained the Scorchers to the final, teamed with a handy economy rate of 6.57. On the batting front, Bates scored 310 runs at 22.14 in WBBL|02, on the back of 220 runs at 44 in the first edition of the league.
Brisbane Heat:
Jess Jonassen
Bowling | 14 innings | 17 wickets | 171 dots | 5.24 economy rate | 15.90 average | 18.20 strike rate
WBBL| 02 fantasy points* | 1098
If WBBL Big Bash Fantasy points were kept last summer, Jess Jonassen would have been the league’s second top player. With an impressive 17 wickets and a miserly economy of 5.24, the left-arm orthodox spinner was a tough prospect for any batter to face. A talented allrounder, Jonassen was a contributor with the bat as well, adding 205 runs at a neat average of 18.64 for the Heat in WBBL|02.
Image Id: DFBC3F53F1864385B3403DB3390CA0CB Image Caption: Jess Jonassen will look to fire up for Heat again // Getty
Hobart Hurricanes:
Hayley Matthews
Bowling | 14 innings | 20 wickets | 6.78 economy rate | 15.95 average | 14.1 strike rate
WBBL| 02 fantasy points* | 908
The young West Indies allrounder was one of the top performers with the ball in WBBL|02 and looks set for another big summer. As well taking the third most wickets in the league, she also proved quite capable with the bat, notching up 185 runs at 16.87, with a handy batting strike rate of 96.85. Following Julie Hunter’s retirement, the bulk of the Hurricanes’ wicket-taking potential could fall on the 19-year-old’s capable shoulders.
Melbourne Renegades:
Molly Strano
Bowling | 14 innings | 21 wickets | 154 dots | 5.92 economy rate | 14.80 average | 15 strike rate
WBBL| 02 fantasy points* | 1057
The consistent Renegade is a regular strike bowler, claiming a scalp every two-and-a-half overs on average, and was one of the top performers in WBBL|02, boasting 21 wickets at an average of 14.80. She is a tough challenge for batters to get away, and bowled the equivalent of 26 overs’ worth of dot balls last season. She shapes as good value-for-money, playing predominantly as a bowler but capable of making a solid contribution with the bat, accumulating 149 runs at 24.83.
Melbourne Stars:
Erin Osborne
Bowling | 13 innings | 11 wickets | 95 dots | 6.60 economy rate |28.10 average | 25.50 strike rate
WBBL| 02 fantasy points* | 589
The highly-regarded off-spinner had a solid season for former club Sydney Thunder in WBBL|02, claiming 11 wickets, with one in every three balls being a dot. She is handy in the field, taking six catches last summer, and chipped in with 82 runs at an average of 10.25. The WBBL|01 championship player has taken over 100 international wickets in ODIs and T20Is and has proven time and time again to be a very capable bowler.
Image Id: 01523B9C11B4498A9D830ADFE198DB42
Perth Scorchers:
Katherine Brunt
Bowling | 16 innings | 10 wickets | 200 dots | 5.55 economy rate |33.30 average | 36 strike rate
WBBL| 02 fantasy points* | 1009
Another who would have performed very well had there had been a WBBL Big Bash Fantasy last summer, the England right-arm medium pacer didn’t have as strong a summer as she did in WBBL|01, but has shown her best is more than capable of making a big impact. Her wickets were down from the 16 she claimed in fewer games during the inaugural season, but her bowling was still tight. Of her 360 deliveries, 200 were dots, but when batters got a hold of her deliveries, they were able to put them away. However, Brunt’s efforts with the bat improved, making 216 at an average of 41.
Image Id: 08F4CDC0C72B4136BA72EC388280622D Image Caption: Katherine Brunt has been a top performer for the Scorchers // GettySydney Sixers:
Sarah Aley
Bowling | 17 innings | 28 wickets | 165 dots | 5.69 economy rate |11.80 average | 12.40 strike rate
WBBL| 02 fantasy points* | 1122
The player of the WBBL|02 final would also have been the top-performing player in Big Bash Fantasy had it existed for the WBBL last summer. The magenta speedster claimed 28 scalps for the season – taking her total to 47 since the league started – and struck with a wicket roughly every two overs across the summer. Aley is also capable of the odd cameo with the bat, hitting six boundaries among her 63 runs at 15.75, with a strike rate of 123.53.
Sydney Thunder:
Nicola Carey
Bowling | 12 innings | 14 wickets | 91 dots | 7.56 economy rate | 21.10 average | 16.70 strike rate
WBBL| 02 WBBL| 02 fantasy points* | 590
The Thunder allrounder has the best of both worlds, regularly claiming wickets when the ball is thrown her way and also capable of chiming in with the bat to help her side out. While last summer’s 64 runs did not quite live up to her 168 the season before, she took the crease in fewer innings. But as a bowler, the medium-fast pacer takes a wicket roughly every two-and-a-half overs on average.
Image Id: 29E207B373A642C5B1948D1B7092C360 Image Caption: Nicola Carey sends down a delivery for Thunder // Getty*Points are indicative using last season’s Big Bash Fantasy BBL scoring system and may differ from current system