WBBL09 Team of the week: Who joins Ellyse Perry, Sophie Day and Megan Schutt in our XI?

The Cricketer looks back on the best performances from week two of the 2023 Women's Big Bash

The 2023 Women's Big Bash is in full swing, with Brisbane Heat (four wins, one defeat) currently the team to beat.

Phil Campbell creates a team of the week from the standout performers...

Ellyse Perry (Sydney Sixers)

49 vs Brisbane Heat, 50 vs Melbourne Renegades

Sydney Sixers captain Perry has been consistent source of runs at the top of the order.

She blasted 49 runs off 30 balls, including eight fours and one six, against Brisbane Heat on October 24 before crafting an excellent half-century as part of a 68-run partnership with Ash Gardner against Melbourne Renegades. That set a platform for the Sixers to post 164 for 7, a total they defended by six runs.

Chamari Athapaththu (Sydney Thunder)

80 & 1-20 vs Melbourne Renegades

Athapaththu retains her place in the team of the week after playing the role of destroyer-in-chief in Thunder's dominant run chase against Melbourne Renegades.

The Sri Lanka captain had earlier taken the wicket of the destructive Harmanpreet Kaur for just 11 to help restrict the Renegades to 147 for 5 from their 20 overs. She then produced a masterclass in aggressive batting, striking 15 boundaries, including a six off Ella Hayward to bring up her second half-century of the tournament, en route to 80. Thunder won by eight wickets with 15 balls to spare.

^{Chamari Athapaththu [Simon Sturzaker/Getty Images]}

Georgia Voll (Brisbane Heat)

39 & 1-17 vs Sydney Sixers, 48* vs Melbourne Stars

Brisbane Heat are sitting pretty at the top of the WBBL table and despite having a nightmare against Adelaide Strikers (they were bowled out for 89), they picked up two wins in the past seven days, with Voll playing a key role in both.

The 20-year-old collected the player of the match award against the Sixers on October 24 after a mature all-round display, which included the wicket of Perry, two catches and a controlled innings of 39 which anchored the ultimately successful run chase. She then scored an unbeaten 48 during her side's victory over Melbourne Stars, showcasing her capabilities batting at No.3.

Bridget Patterson (Adelaide Strikers)

27 & 3 dismissals vs Melbourne Stars, 70 & 2 dismissals vs Brisbane Heat

Handed the gloves following the retirement of Tegan McPharlin, Patterson has repaid head coach Luke Williams' faith, shining behind and in front of the stumps.

During her side's four-wicket win over Melbourne Stars, she made three stumpings before contributing 27 runs off 24 balls to help the Strikers chase 134 with two balls to spare.

She then added another catch to her collection during a rain-reduced contest with Hobart Hurricanes before finishing the week with a match-winning knock over Brisbane Heat. Patterson plundered 70 runs from just 53 balls (seven fours, two sixes) to help her side post 148 for 4 before taking the catch to remove opener Georgia Redmayne and stumping Jess Jonassen as Heat were bundled out for just 89.

Chloe Tryon (Sydney Sixers)

42 & 1-32 vs Brisbane Heat, 41 vs Melbourne Renegades

The 29-year-old South Africa international has settled into life at Sydney Sixers and has started producing her trademark middle order runs. 

The allrounder made a gutsy 42 against the Heat on October 24 and also removed Voll with the ball. She followed it up with a blistering 41 (16) against Melbourne Renegades, clubbing five sixes. She is currently striking at 147.94 in WBBL09, placing her among the top 10 batters in the competition.

^{Jess Jonassen [Mark Brake/Getty Images]}

Annabel Sutherland (Melbourne Stars)

2-19 vs Brisbane Heat, 49 & 2-31 vs Perth Scorchers

The Australia international is another player to keep her place in the team of the week, with a player of the match-winning display against Perth Scorchers her standout performance.

The allrounder's brilliant 49 from 27 balls featured seven fours and one six and helped the Stars post 154 for 7, having lost three wickets for no runs in the middle of the innings. The right-armer then played her part with the ball, taking the crucial wicket of Scorchers' Maddy Darke (45) before dismissing Lisa Griffith the very next delivery for a golden duck. She also took two catches as the Stars won by seven runs.

Earlier in the week, Sutherland was the pick of Melbourne Stars' bowlers against Brisbane Heat, taking an economical 2 for 19.

Ash Gardner (Sydney Sixers)

2-17 vs Brisbane Heat, 37 and 2-37 vs Melbourne Renegades

Another team of the week returnee, Gardner played an integral role as Sydney Sixers beat Melbourne Renegades to pick up their first win of WBBL09.

The 26-year-old formed an important partnership with Perry early in the innings, helping Sydney to 164 for 7, and then picked up the important wicket of Georgia Wareham at the death to close out the game, which the Sixers won by six runs.

She also bowled tidily against Brisbane Heat, picking up the wickets of top-order batters Redmayne and Mignon de Preez.

Sophie Day (Melbourne Stars)

4-27 vs Perth Scorchers

Day failed to pick up a wicket against Adelaide Strikers and Brisbane Heat but roared back to her best against Perth Scorchers, taking 4 for 27.

With Melbourne Stars defending 154, the left-arm spinner ripped through the Scorchers' top and middle order, leaving a trail of batters, including New Zealand international Sophie Devine, in her wake and reducing the Perth-based side to 91 for 5 with six overs to go. The Stars went on to win by seven runs.

^{Chloe Ainsworth [Mark Evans/Getty Images]}

Jess Jonassen (Brisbane Heat)

27 & 2-25 vs Sydney Sixers, 2-35 vs Melbourne Stars, 22 & 2-22 vs Adelaide Strikers

The Australia spinner knows all about taking wickets in this competition having been Brisbane Heat's leading wicket-taker on four occasions. And this week, she added six wickets to her haul for 2023 with a trio of two-fors. She currently sits joint-top of the overall wicket-taking charts with nine. 

No slouch with the bat, she scored a handy 27 runs to help her side to victory over Sydney Sixers and also chipped in with 22 runs in defeat against Adelaide Strikers.

Megan Schutt (Adelaide Strikers)

 2-27 vs Melbourne Stars, 1-14 vs Hobart Hurricanes, 3-16 vs Brisbane Heat

The Australia pacer was the leading wicket-taker in last year's competition and is currently the joint-leading wicket-taker in WBBL09 with nine scalps.

The 30-year-old kickstarted Hobart Hurricanes' collapse on October 29 by removing Redmayne with the second ball of the innings and then added Charli Knott and Nicola Hancock to her list of victims as part of a convincing Strikers win.

A reliable wicket-taker, her 2 for 27 against Melbourne Stars was crucial in her side's victory, with Maia Bouchier and Rhys McKenna the players to depart at her hand.

Chloe Ainsworth (Perth Scorchers)

3-25 vs Hobart Hurricanes

Hobart Hurricanes' Lizelle Lee is probably sick of the sight of rising star Chloe Ainsworth.

Having been cleaned up after just two deliveries by the 18-year-old earlier in the competition, the youngster once again sent the South African back to the pavilion in their second meeting, this time taking a catch off the bowling of Lilly Mills to dismiss her for five.

However, it was with the ball that she particularly impressed in that fixture, taking the wickets of Heather Graham, Naomi Stalenberg and Hayley Silver-Holmes to finish with figures of 3 for 25.