The Cricketer takes a look at the Thunder squad ahead of WBBL08
Coach: Trevor Griffin
Captain: Rachael Haynes
Overseas: Chloe Tryon (South Africa), Tammy Beaumont (England), Amy Jones (England), Lea Tahuhu (New Zealand, replacement signing)
Last season: Seventh
How did they do last year?
A disappointing season for the two-time champions who finished in seventh position – their lowest placing to date – with just four wins from 14 matches (two fixtures ended in no result).
Thunder had to wait until their sixth outing of the season to get a win on the board but failed to kick on from back-to-back victories over Melbourne Stars and Hobart Hurricanes, winning just two of their remaining seven matches.
They struggled to contain teams with the ball, conceding 140-plus runs on eight occasions (losing seven) and also had a poor record when chasing, losing seven from eight. When batting first, they won three out of four.
India international Smriti Mandhana topped the run-scoring charts for Thunder, scoring 377 runs at a strike rate of 130.44, while Hannah Darlington led the way with the ball, taking 16 wickets.
Allrounder Sammy-Jo Johnson is hoping for a strong season [Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images]
Who are their key players?
It should come as little surprise that Sydney Thunder's worst season coincided with a poor return from allrounder Sammy-Jo Johnson. She was Thunder's leading wicket-taker when they lifted the title in 2020/21, picking up 22 wickets, but took just 10 last season. Johnson felt she "let the team down" and rejected contracts in The Hundred to concentrate on WBBL08. At her best Johnson is a handy operator in the powerplay and at the death and has 85 wickets in 89 WBBL matches. With the bat, she possesses a career strike rate in excess of 120 – when it comes off, she can be devastating.
Thunder also missed skipper Haynes last season. A banker for a useful contribution with the bat, Haynes has scored 350-plus runs in a season three times (out of six) and has only once failed to score 250 runs. She's not particularly explosive nor is she a big-hitter but she is steady and highly experienced.
Darlington has been Sydney Thunder's standout bowler for the past three season, taking 51 wickets in 40 matches and maintaining an economy of 6.47 despite bowling a significant chunk of her overs at the death. However, with the pacer set to miss the first part of the season with a knee injury, the contributions of Johnson and spinner Samantha Bates will be even more important.
Left-armer Bates has 83 wickets in 88 appearances for Thunder, a WBBL economy of 6.08, and the versatility to bowl in the powerplay, middle overs and at the death. In the past five seasons, she has taken 15-plus wickets on three occasions while for the past two campaigns, her economy has dipped below a run a ball.
What are their biggest strengths?
Sydney Thunder's batting line-up might not have the wow-factor of a team like Perth Scorchers (Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine, enough said) but what it does have is experience in abundance with a potential top-six of Tammy Beaumont, Johnson, Phoebe Litchfield, Haynes, Chloe Tryon and Amy Jones. Wicketkeeper Tahlia Wilson is no slouch either, chipping in with 178 runs last season.
One suspects this group should be able to cover the 588-run hole left by Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma, with their main assets being their vast experience and versatility. The exact arrival dates for Beaumont and Jones, though, have not yet been confirmed after a long summer.
Beaumont opened for Thunder during her previous stint with the side while unpredictable – but exciting – powder keg Johnson is her most likely partner. Litchfield, meanwhile, impressed at No.3 last season, scoring 263 runs at a strike rate of 109.12. After that, the order is quite interchangeable, and if Jones can transfer her 140-plus strike rate in The Hundred to the WBBL, she would add some enviable middle-order firepower to the line-up.
Rachael Haynes (bottom row, centre) and Tammy Beaumont (bottom row, right), who won the WBBL in 2020, have returned to the Thunder set-up [Ryan Pierse/Getty Images]
Where might they have a weakness?
In spite of all the batting positives, Thunder might lack a touch of explosivity. Last season, for example, Mandhana's runs came at a rate of 130.44 while Issy Wong contributed 56 at 155.55 from the middle-order. This season's batting options are experienced and proven run-scorers but might lack that touch of flair. Players like Beaumont and Haynes are also short on T20 form, which is a worry.
Their bowling is also of slight concern. Thunder have a strong core, with pacers Darlington and Hohnson and spinner Bates taking a combined 97 wickets across the past two seasons. New signing Belinda Vakarewa, a right-arm fast-medium bowler, has 56 wickets and an economy of 6.22 from 76 WBBL outings and will go some way to plugging the hole left by fast bowlers Shabnim Ismail (14 wickets in 2020/21) and Issy Wong (nine wickets in 2021/22).
However, Darlington is set to be absent for at least seven matches through injury (Lea Tahuhu has been recruited as a replacement but as an overseas player, her involvement would prevent one of Jones, Beaumont or Tryon from playing) while they haven't replaced the wickets of allrounders Heather Knight (10 wickets in 2020/21) or Deepti Sharma (13 wickets in 2021/22) - a sizeable chunk of wickets for the rest of the attack to cover.
Chances of reaching the latter stages?
A top-four finish should be a minimum for this Thunder squad, which is stacked with talent. However, whether that becomes a reality will depend on a couple of key players (Beaumont, Johnson, Haynes) rediscovering their form with the bat and the bowling attack combining to plug a gap in their ranks.
Strongest XI: Tammy Beaumont, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Phoebe Litchfield, Rachael Haynes, Chloe Tryon, Amy Jones, Anika Learoyd, Tahlia Wilson, Hannah Darlington, Belinda Vakarewa, Samantha Bates
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