https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...tars-women-vs-sydney-thunder-women-final-wbbl
The WBBL final will pitch Australia's captain,
Meg Lanning, against her vice-captain Rachael Haynes. The Melbourne Stars, having reached the knockouts for the first time, are up against the Sydney Thunder who are in their first final since the opening edition of the tournament.
The Stars have been the standout team of the tournament, storming their way through the group stage until a couple of defeats at the back-end but they regathered themselves to
comprehensively dispatch the Perth Scorchers.
The Thunder were less consistent in the round-robin but have won when it matters, most spectacularly in their semi-final
against the Brisbane Heat when they turned around a game that seemed lost - although the players themselves said the belief never wavered.
While both teams have strength throughout their XIs, it might come down to the Stars' impactful batting verses the Thunder's varied bowling attack - not that the Stars lack at all in that area, either. Lanning, Elyse Villani and Mignon du Preez have led the way for the Stars, backed up by Nat Sciver and latterly the rapidly developing Annabel Sutherland with crucial cameos from Alana King (who has also been a star with ball in hand).
The Thunder's attack includes the pace of Shabnim Ismail, the powerplay skills of left-arm spinner Sam Bates, the experience of Sammy-Jo Johnson and, as shown to such great effect in the semi-final, the yorkers of
Hannah Darlington.
Above all, though, this tournament has been a huge success to have been played in its entirety given the challenges that it had to overcome. Many players have not found hub life easy - Haynes admitted she "hadn't enjoyed it" - but they have embraced the new normal and, by and large, the on-field action has been of high quality with established stars standing tall and young names standing out. Hopefully, the final will be a fitting conclusion.
