What's behind the Stars' T20 dominance?

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When Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars allrounder Ellyse Perry clubbed a back-of-a-length delivery from Anisa Mohammed through mid-on for four on Sunday it didn’t just seal a 4-0 Twenty20 International series sweep over the West Indies, it also capped a 13-match winning streak for the world number one team that dates back to the ICC Women’s World T20 in March.

The fourth T20I win marked 230 days since the Southern Stars last came out on the wrong side of a T20 ledger, in their opening match against New Zealand in Bangladesh, and since then a core group of some of the best women’s cricketers to ever play the game have eclipsed all comers en route to a World T20 crown and twin series whitewashes over Pakistan and the West Indies in Australia.

With their next fixture in the shortest format not slated until the middle of 2015 (against England in England), there’s no better time to reflect on the key factors behind the Southern Stars’ extended run of success.

Stability

As has been the hallmark of the majority of champion cricket sides over the years, the Southern Stars have persisted with a relatively settled lineup.

In the 13 matches since that loss to New Zealand, 15 players have suited up in the green and gold, with four of them; Alex Blackwell, Alyssa Healy, captain Meg Lanning and Erin Osborne playing in all 13.

A further nine have featured in 10 matches or more, and only two, Megan Schutt and Holly Ferling, have played in fewer than six.

Compare that to the men’s side, which have fielded 24 players in seven matches across the same time period. New T20I skipper Aaron Finch has been the lone constant for the men while six players appeared just once.

Experience

Never a side to carry veterans, the Southern Stars have an average age of just 24.8 at the moment, with Blackwell and Kristen Beams the only players over 30.

But that youthful exuberance hasn’t come at the expense of experience, with the Southern Stars averaging 38.47 career games per player – and with more than half of the 15 having competed at more than two ICC World Twenty20 tournaments, the side is far from short on big-game familiarity.

Blackwell and Perry are the most experienced in the shortest format, with 73 and 63 matches respectively, while Beams, Schutt, Delissa Kimmince and Ferling are the only players to have fewer than 23 games to their credit.

In a format that relies so heavily on tactics and adaptability, that extra experience is vital.

Power

With only 120 balls to swing the willow, big scores in good time at the top of the order are priceless – and that’s exactly what Lanning, Elyse Villani and now Jess Jonassen have delivered for the Southern Stars.

The trio were the top-three run scorers for the Australians in the most recent series, with their ability to hit the ball through and over the field proving a nightmare for opposition bowlers used to playing against more subdued batting.

Lanning and Villani both have 62 boundaries to their name since March 25, while Lanning has 10 sixes – the second most of any women’s cricketer in the world behind the West Indies’ Deandra Dottin.

Overall the Southern Stars have struck 24 maximums across their 13 wins, with their average of 7.56 runs per over the highest aggregate in the women’s game – by more than a run an over.

Versatility

While the world champions boast some of the most destructive batters in the game at the moment, they also possess a bevy of talented allrounders that can win games off their own bat (or ball) with equal regularity.

In possibly the best illustration of the side’s flexibility, Perry, Jonassen and Kimmince have all averaged more than 20 with the bat and less than 20 with the ball across those 13 matches, while fellow allrounder Erin Osborne has taken 13 wickets at an average of 19 and is yet to be dismissed in three innings.

With spinners that can both turn the ball away from the right hander (Jonassen, Beams) and back in towards them (Osborne), along with in-swing (Rene Farrell, Schutt, Sarah Coyte) and out-swing (Perry and Julie Hunter) pace options, Lanning has enough options in her arsenal to combat any batter in the women’s game.

Now what?

With more than six months until their next short-form fixture, and a one-day international series against the West Indies an immediate priority, can the world champions maintain their current level of excellence?

Watch and follow all the action as the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars take on the West Indies LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on cricket.com.au.