Tahlia Wilson continued her red-hot 50-over form, sending a reminder to national selectors with her second century of the 2025-26 WNCL season
Tahlia Wilson has peeled off a fine century to continue New South Wales’ unbeaten run this Women’s National Cricket League season, steering the Breakers to an eight-wicket win over the ACT Meteors.
Wilson outshone a pair of Australian legends as Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry were dismissed cheaply, doing her hopes of an international call-up no harm with an unbeaten 115 from as many balls.
The ACT’s hopes of defending their below-par total of 192 were boosted early when Angie Genford had Healy caught on seven, and leg-spinner Anesu Mushangwe had Perry trapped lbw for a six-ball duck, leaving the Breakers 2-41.
But Wilson’s unbroken 152-run stand with Katie Mack (55no from 81) saw the Breakers reel in their target in 35 overs, securing their second bonus-point win over their rivals in the space of three days.
Wilson, who is currently sitting on top of the WNCL runs table having scored 346 runs at an average of 69 including two hundreds and two fifties, is one of several wicketkeeper-batters who will be vying for higher honours once Healy hangs up the gloves for good at the end of the upcoming multi-format series against India.
While Beth Mooney is already installed in Australia’s best XI across all formats and is the logical option to take the gloves full time, selectors will need to decide who is next in line with Wilson, 26, a leading candidate alongside Victoria’s Nicole Faltum.
Earlier, Paris Bowdler (61 from 87) and English import Georgia Elwiss (66 from 78) provided the resistance with the bat for the Meteors after skipper Carly Leeson won the toss and opted to bat first.
Maitlan Brown (3-45) struck a pair of early blows to remove both ACT openers and leave the hosts 2-28, before Bowdler and Elwiss led the recovery with a 126-run third-wicket stand.
However the Meteors could not capitalise on the foundation the pair laid, collapsing to lose their final eight wickets for just 38 runs as Frankie Nicklin took 3-48.
The Breakers have now leapfrogged Queensland to claim top spot on the WNCL table, after the Fire suffered back-to-back losses to South Australia.
In further good news for NSW, they will likely have Healy and Perry at their disposal when they host Queensland at Cricket Central on February 3 and 5.
