WBBL 06 team guide: Perth Scorchers - star players, fixtures, strengths and weaknesses

There's plenty of explosive potential in the Perth squad, so can they go beyond the semi-final stage which they managed in WBBL 05?

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Coach: Shelley Nitschke 

Captain: Sophie Devine 

Overseas players: Sophie Devine, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones

Australia internationals: Beth Mooney 

Last season: Semi-final 

How did they do last season?

It was a solid year for Perth Scorchers, reaching the semi-finals. With Meg Lanning, Nat Sciver and Amy Jones all in the team they were a real force to be reckoned with.

Key players

Sophie Devine: Having moved from Adelaide Strikers, Devine will be looking to pick up where she left off last year. The New Zealander scored 769 runs in 16 matches at an average of 76.90, hitting nine fifties.

Devine is ranked top of the T20 Player Index, which measures the performances of players in all franchise and international T20 cricket over a three-year period, and is the only New Zealand international in the top 10. Amelia Kerr ranks 11th.

Sarah Glenn: In England, Glenn is a name on everyone’s lips at the moment. She impressed in England’s 5-0 drubbing of West Indies in Derby, taking seven wickets in the series.

Glenn makes her first WBBL appearance this year and is ranked at 43rd in the T20 Player Index; she can expect to rise up those rankings with a few strong performances.

Nicole Bolton: Bolton had a quiet season in 2019 with six wickets and 180 runs but will be looking to bounce back over the next few weeks.

Sitting at 40th in the T20 Player Index, Bolton has won over half of the T20 matches she has played in the past three years.

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Strengths

Hitting big runs was something that Perth did well last year. They managed 150 or more on six occasions with a top score of 173.

With Meg Lanning, Amy Jones and Nat Sciver all scoring more than 300 runs each, they made themselves a formidable opponent. 

Weaknesses

When Perth batted first in 2019, they found it difficult to defend their scores. Despite winning most of the games when batting first, the margins of victory were sometimes too close for comfort.

They defeated Adelaide Strikers by two runs and Sydney Thunder by seven and 11 runs respectively.

England involvement

Amy Jones is set for a third season with Scorchers in WBBL 06. She had a terrific campaign last season, notching 391 runs at an average of 32.58 with a top score of 80.

Ranked 30th in the T20 Player Index, Jones has won almost 66 per cent of her 91 matches in the past three years. If she plays well Down Under, she will almost certainly makes gains in the next recalculation.

Glenn will also offer so much to the team with her spin bowling, having cemented her place in the England team.

Fixtures

October 26 - Hobart Hurricanes; October 31 - Melbourne Renegades; November 1 - Adelaide Strikers; November 4 - Sydney Thunder; November 7 - Melbourne Stars; November 8 - Sydney Sixers; November 11 - Sydney Sixers; November 14 - Melbourne Renegades; November 15 - Sydney Thunder; November 17 - Melbourne Stars; November 18 - Brisbane Heat; November 21 - Hobart Hurricanes; November 22 - Adelaide Strikers

Full fixture list

Full squads list