Adelaide Strikers were fancied to win a third-straight WBBL title, but instead they have trailed the competition in an otherwise tight season
'So surprised': Where WBBL|10 has gone astray for Strikers
Adelaide Strikers’ back-to-back Weber WBBL titles were built on their elite bowling unit, and it is that aspect of their game that has failed to fire as their hopes of a three-peat faded this season.
When the Strikers added India superstar Smriti Mandhana to their already star-studded line-up ahead of WBBL|10, only the bravest of pundits would have predicted they would end up with a 1-6 record seven matches into the season.
Tahlia McGrath's side only lost three of 14 group matches last season and finished six points clear on top of the table, before ultimately holding off Brisbane Heat in a low-scoring final at Adelaide Oval.
That result, which saw the Strikers successfully defend 5-125, befitted a campaign where the Strikers maintained a bowling economy rate of 6.44. The next nearest was Sydney Thunder with 7.3.
It also took the pressure off their batting unit, which only passed 150 on three occasions despite solid campaigns from openers Laura Wolvaardt and Katie Mack, who both averaged 30.
It had been a similar story in WBBL|08, where the Strikers finished second on the table before upsetting Sydney Sixers in the final.
In that tournament, their bowling economy rate was 6.8 and they had five bowlers inside the top 16 wicket takers, in a season where their batters posted totals above 150 on three occasions and as a collective struck at 7.07 runs per over, placing them fourth in the league.
In WBBL|10, the Strikers have made considerable gains on the batting side of things, posting totals above 150 on five occasions in seven games and scoring at 8.06 runs per over, putting them second in the league behind the Hurricanes' 8.09.
But their much-vaunted bowling group has been off the boil, with an economy rate of 8.99 – easily the highest in WBBL|10 at present behind the Sixers' 8.05.
One of the architects of those twin titles, Australia star Megan Schutt, took 49 wickets across WBBL|08 and |09, with economy rates under 6.5.
She came into this tournament in excellent form after a strong T20 World Cup campaign and is currently 10th on the wickets table for WBBL|10, with eight scalps at an average 25.87 and an economy rate of 7.66.
Speedster Darcie Brown only played three matches last season, but was near unplayable going at 4.4 an over. This season, she has taken six wickets at 30.5 with an economy rate of 8.31.
Canny spinner Jemma Barsby has five wickets and has gone for 7.81 an over, and leggie Anesu Mushangwe so far hasn't recaptured her excellent form of last season, having taken five wickets with an economy rate of 9.
But most surprising has been the ever-reliable leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington, who after snaring 46 wickets across the last two seasons, has taken five at an average of 46.2 in WBBL|10, and gone for more than 10 runs per over.
"They've been up there with the most runs scored for the whole season," Holly Ferling told The Surge podcast this week.
"If your batters are doing their job and scoring a large majority of the runs in the season compared to other teams, it must be a little bit (about) your bowling unit.
"There's someone like Amanda-Jade Wellington – who for the last 10 seasons you've been able to bank on with economy rate and wickets – and teams have been taking her down.
"I think teams have really looked at (the Strikers') line up because they've been so consistent over time (and saying) 'We know how they're going to attack us, so what can we counter punch back with?'
"They were at the top of my list to win this thing ... you've got the same consistent team together the whole time, and they've recruited a couple in but it's for the same role, so for the most part, their game play is exactly the same.
"But for some reason this year, it hasn't gone their way.
"You talk about momentum, they played four games in the first seven or eight days, and they lost a few and all of a sudden, when momentum is against you in tournament play, it's really hard to shift it again.
"But I'm so surprised that they are where they are."
The Strikers have only the slimmest of mathematical chances to reaching the top four with three games remaining in the home-and-away season.
But they will be desperate to put on an improved display against Hobart Hurricanes at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
Speaking on the eve of that match, India opener Smriti Mandhana said she hoped a bumper crowd would turn out to support the two-time champions regardless of their ladder position.
"It's been a tough season for the group," Mandhana said.
"But the effort is there and sometimes when the team has done really well over the last four or five seasons, there's always this sort of a season coming.
"It's always nice to play in front of fans, as Indians we're used to having big crowds and it always gets the best out of the players.
"I think coming out in huge numbers tomorrow could be a good thing, especially coming off a tough week their support would mean a lot to us."
Weber WBBL|10 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
REN
|
10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.527 | 0 | 14 |
|
2
HEA
|
10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.384 | 0 | 14 |
|
3
THU
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -0.002 | 0 | 13 |
|
4
HUR
|
10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.189 | 0 | 10 |
|
5
SCO
|
10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | -0.171 | 0 | 9 |
|
6
SIX
|
10 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | -0.477 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
STR
|
10 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | -0.357 | 0 | 7 |
|
8
STA
|
10 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | -0.205 | 0 | 5 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points