All you need to know: The WBBL|10 Knockout

How did we get here?

The race for glory was tight in WBBL|10, with the last of the four finals spots coming down to the last game of the regular season. The Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat all qualified a touch earlier, but it was the Hobart Hurricanes who snatched fourth place.

Match facts

Who: Sydney Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes

What: The Knockout, Weber WBBL|10

Where: Drummoyne Oval, Sydney

When: Wednesday, November 27. Bat flip at 6.30pm AEDT, first ball at 7.15pm AEDT

How to watch: Channel 7, 7Plus, Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports

Buy tickets: Tickets are on sale here

For all matches in WBBL|10 there will be a Weber Baby Q  up for grabs during the innings break. Fans can simply scan the QR code on the big screen to compete in trivia on their phone. The fan with the most correct answers in the fastest time will win.

Live scores: Match Centre

Highlights, news and reactions after the match: cricket.com.au, the CA Live and Big Bash apps

Officials: Drew Crozier (Field), Sharad Patel (Field), Roberto Howard (Third), David Taylor (Fourth), Dave Gilbert (Referee)

Match Squads

Sydney Thunder: Phoebe Litchfield (c), Georgia Adams, Chamari Athapaththu, Sam Bates, Ella Briscoe, Hannah Darlington, Sienna Eve, Shabnim Ismail, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Anika Learoyd, Taneale Peschel, Georgia Voll, Tahlia Wilson

 

Hobart Hurricanes: Elyse Villani (c), Suzie Bates, Kathryn Bryce, Nicola Carey, Heather Graham, Ruth Johnston, Lizelle Lee, Rosemary Mair, Tabatha Saville, Amy Smith, Lauren Smith, Molly Strano, Callie Wilson

Form Guide

Sydney Thunder: LWDWL (Most recent first)

The Sydney Smash was rained out, with no result possible. But the clear theme from the past few games is a few lower scores with the bat.

Hobart Hurricanes: WLLWW (Most recent first)

Two strong wins against the Scorchers and one win against the Strikers was enough to get the Hurricanes into fourth spot.

What happens if it's washed out?

There is no rain forecast in Sydney for Wednesday's clash. But if it is washed out, the higher ranked team in the Sydney Thunder will go through to The Challenger.

What happens if it's a tie?

The game will go to a Super Over. The one-over per side decider will be used if scores finish level, with an unlimited amount of subsequent Super Overs to be played if the ties keep coming, pending conditions and time restrictions.

If no Super Over (or further Super Overs) are possible, the Thunder will be declared the winner after finishing higher on the table.

Players to watch

Three Thunder players were selected in the WBBL|10 Team of the Tournament after a strong season. Georgia Voll is capable of erupting for a massive score, while captain Phoebe Litchfield has been an ultra-consistent contributor throughout the campaign.

Samantha Bates finished with 19 wickets in 10 games, just one behind BKT Golden Arm winner Alana King. But it was Hannah Darlington who popped up with three wickets last time these two teams met.

Lizelle Lee's back-to-back centuries a few weeks ago showed why she's Hobart's most dangerous player.

Outside of Lee, the Hurricanes have won games through a balanced approach, with Nicola Carey and Molly Strano stepping up regularly.

Head-to-head

These two teams met twice in a matter of days early in the home-and-away season. The Hurricanes won the first encounter by 31 runs, thanks to a strong batting performance by Nicola Carey.

The inverse happened in the next outing, with Heather Knight leading the Thunder to a 33-run win. She'll be unavailable for this game as she's with the England squad.

Strengths and weaknesses

Top-order batting is a huge strength for both these sides. Thunder duo Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield finished fourth and fifth in the competition for most runs.

For the Hurricanes, Lizelle Lee (third), Elyse Villani (ninth) and Nicola Carey (tenth) all finished in the top ten for runs scored.

The Hurricanes finished the home-and-away season second for total runs scored, while the Thunder came in fourth.

The difference for these teams starts in the bowling attacks. The Thunder have four players in the top 25 for most wickets this season, with Samantha Bates the star there with 19 wickets.

The Hurricanes have spread their bowling around a bit more, but may lack that one player that's capable of really tearing the game apart.

Rapid facts

• Sydney Thunder defeated the Hobart Hurricanes by 33 runs when they last met in the WBBL earlier this season, snapping a five-match losing run against them.
• Samantha Bates has a bowling strike rate of 11.1 in WBBL|10, the best of any player for the Thunder in a single season in WBBL history.
• Lizelle Lee has scored 305 runs at an average of 76.3 across her last five WBBL innings, although, she’s scored fewer than 20 runs in each of her last two innings against the Sydney Thunder.
• Batters have played a false shot on 28 per cent of the Sydney Thunder’s deliveries this WBBL season, the highest rate of any team in the competition.
• Hobart Hurricanes won their most recent WBBL match in New South Wales, snapping a five-match losing run in the state.

What's on the line?

A spot in The Challenger against the Brisbane Heat is the reward for the winner, while the loser gets sent packing.

The road for the ultimate glory is the same for both sides however - just win three games in a row to be crowned WBBL|10 champions.

WBBL|10 Finals

The Knockout: Sydney Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes | Drummoyne Oval | Wednesday, November 27 at 7.15pm AEDT

The Challenger: Brisbane Heat v TBC | Allan Border Field | Friday, November 29 at 7.15pm AEDT, 6.15pm AEDT

The Final: Melbourne Renegades v TBC | MCG | Sunday, December 1 at 1.20pm AEDT

Grab your tickets or tune in on the Seven Network, 7Plus, Fox Cricket, Kayo or ABC and SEN radio

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