Johnson praises Thunder's old and new as familiar foe awaits

Forced to watch from the sidelines as her Sydney Thunder teammates enjoyed an outstanding start to the season, Sammy-Jo Johnson is ready to make her mark on WBBL|09.

After picking up two wickets in the Thunder's first-up win over the Sydney Sixers, an Achilles concern kept the fast bowler out of the Thunder's next three matches.

But Johnson returned for Saturday's game against the Melbourne Stars – a day before her 31st birthday – and celebrated in style, taking the wicket of England star Sophia Dunkley.

"I'm not a very good watcher of cricket, so it was nice to be back out running around with the girls after a couple of games on the sideline," Johnson told cricket.com.au.

"Obviously, no-one wants injuries (and) the older you get, the more chances that they're going to pop up every now and again ... but I've got a great SSSM (sport science, sport medicine) team behind me."

Johnson slots back into a Thunder line-up that is humming, joining a pace attack that this season includes South Africa superstar Marizanne Kapp, while young pacer Hannah Darlington is starting to recapture the form that saw her make an Australian debut aged 19 two summers ago.

Johnson's powerful striking will also bolster the Thunder's lower order – although those skills were not called upon when they romped to an eight-wicket win over the Stars. 

After languishing on the bottom of the table last season, with a single win from 11 completed matches, the Thunder are among the frontrunners in WBBL|09 with four wins from five matches.

The additions of star overseas players Kapp, Heather Knight and Chamari Athapaththu, and new coach Lisa Keightley, have undoubtedly played a significant role in their revival.

But Johnson said the continued development of their young local players – a group that includes Phoebe Litchfield alongside the likes of Darlington, Tahlia Wilson, Anika Learoyd and Olivia Porter – was also critical. 

"When we got that first win, we're like, 'yeah, this is cool'," she said. "Then when we got the second, we're like, 'yeah, we won more than we won last year'. 

"We've just got such a good vibe ... I think a similar vibe to (the title-winning side of) WBBL|06 because it's some similar personnel, Heather Knight coming back in is a great add on for us. 

"But everyone's that one year older, one year wiser, a bit more cricket under their belt, and just stepping up when they need to.

"Pheebs internationally (has been starring) and she's just come back with a really clear mindset and she's outstanding for us. 

"Hannah keeps getting better and better every game, she didn't have as much luck at the start of the competition but she's picking up wickets for us and bowling stump-to-stump which is really what she needs to do. 

"And Tahlia, her pre-season has been amazing, she's been hitting the ball to everywhere and then when she went to England for the Australia A series, she just took her game to the next level."

The Thunder face a significant test on Monday night when they host the highly-fancied Brisbane Heat at North Sydney Oval.

Johnson started her WBBL career in teal before moving to the Thunder in 2020 ahead of WBBL|06 and is relishing the chance to take on her former side. 

"I think it's a great test and it's come at the right time," she said. "We've a little bit of momentum (but) we know that the Heat are a dangerous side.

"Coming up against my old side, I always enjoy the match-up and it's at North Sydney Oval, so we know it's going to be a high-scoring game. 

"They've got some players in form, but I definitely think we can match it with them."

Weber WBBL|09 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 Adelaide Strikers Women STR	14	11	3	0	0	1.154	0	22
2 Perth Scorchers Women SCO	14	8	6	0	0	0.784	0	16
3 Brisbane Heat Women HEA	14	8	6	0	0	0.203	0	16
4 Sydney Thunder Women THU	14	7	6	0	1	0.298	0	15
5 Sydney Sixers Women SIX	14	7	7	0	0	-0.253	0	14
6 Hobart Hurricanes Women HUR	14	6	7	0	1	-0.597	0	13
7 Melbourne Stars Women STA	14	6	8	0	0	-0.779	0	12
8 Melbourne Renegades Women REN	14	2	12	0	0	-0.978	0	4

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points