Aussie stars ruled out as Brisbane Heat and Adelaide Strikers both battle to keep their WBBL|11 seasons alive
Adelaide Strikers have been dealt a blow ahead of their crucial showdown against Brisbane Heat, with Megan Schutt to miss the game with a hamstring injury.
The Australia star will miss at least Tuesday’s game at Karen Rolton Oval after ‘tweaking’ her hamstring, with no timeline given for her return.
Brisbane Heat, who need to win to keep their season alive, will also be without two of their biggest stars in Grace Harris and Jemimah Rodrigues.
Harris is being ‘managed’ as she continues her comeback from a calf injury suffered in the lead-up to the ODI World Cup. The powerful allrounder missed Friday’s game against Sydney Thunder due to calf soreness, then returned for Sunday’s loss to Melbourne Stars.
Rodrigues meanwhile has not yet returned from India, having travelled home last week for teammate Smriti Mandhana’s wedding, which was due to be held on Sunday but has since been postponed after her father was hospitalised after suffering a medical incident.
Lily Bassingthwaighte has come into the Heat squad in place of Harris and will make her WBBL debut if chosen in the starting side.
Adelaide Strikers squad v Heat: Jemma Barsby, Tammy Beaumont, Darcie Brown, Sophie Ecclestone, Ellie Johnston, Eleanor Larosa, Tahlia McGrath, Anesu Mushangwe, Bridget Patterson, Maddie Penna, Tabatha Saville, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Laura Wolvaardt.
The match is significant for both teams, who occupy the bottom two positions on the ladder.
Adelaide sit in seventh spot with one win, three losses and a washout at the midway point of their season, and another loss would hurt their hopes of making the top four.
With Schutt – who has had an uncharacteristically poor season so far taking a solitary wicket from five games and bowling at an economy rate of 9.56 – sidelined, another opportunity could be created for rising left-arm quick Eleanor Larosa.
Larosa made her long-awaited debut against the Hurricanes earlier in WBBL|11.
Brisbane Heat squad v Strikers: Jess Jonassen (c), Lily Bassingthwaighte, Lucy Bourke, Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Chinelle Henry, Nadine de Klerk, Charli Knott, Annie O’Neil, Georgia Redmayne, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Mikayla Wrigley
The Heat meanwhile have only the slimmest hopes of making finals after suffering their fifth loss from as many matches on Sunday night.
The club has missed finals just twice in the competition’s history, and not since WBBL|03 in 2017-18.
Harris’s absence means they will once again be forced to switch up their opening combination, while Lauren Winfield-Hill remains in the squad in place of Rodrigues.
Weber WBBL|11 Standings
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Ties
T
No results
N/R
Net Run Rate
NRR
Deductions
Ded.
Total points
PTS
1
HUR
6
5
1
0
0
0.504
0
10
2
REN
6
4
2
0
0
0.795
0
8
3
STA
5
3
1
0
1
2.247
0
7
4
SIX
5
3
2
0
0
-0.533
0
6
5
SCO
6
3
3
0
0
-0.616
0
6
6
THU
6
2
4
0
0
-0.519
0
4
7
STR
5
1
3
0
1
0.064
0
3
8
HEA
5
0
5
0
0
-1.295
0
0
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points
