The Brisbane Heat became the first team in the history of Women’s Big Bash League to win back-to-back titles after beating Adelaide strikers in the final by six wickets.
59 games were played in the fifth season and there were some extraordinary performances during the tournament.
Here, we look at some of the highlights of the season.
Player of the Tournament – Sophie Devine
The New Zealand opener had a terrific series as she scored 769 runs in 16 innings.
The 30-year-old slammed nine half-centuries and helped the Strikers reach the finals for the first time.
Devine’s best knock came against Melbourne Stars as she scored 85 off 56 deliveries.
During the course of the knock she smashed five sixes off an over from Madeline Penna.
It was unfortunate that she couldn’t cap off the tournament with a strong knock as she fell for a score of five in the final.
Devine was excellent with the ball as well, picking up 19 wickets at an economy of 6.77.
Sophie Devine is the #WBBL05 Player of the Tournamenthttps://t.co/Lg9vT4us7Q pic.twitter.com/6vbASaIfpr
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 8, 2019
Bowler of the Tournament – Molly Strano
The off-spinner was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, finishing with 24 wickets from 15 games at a decent economy rate of 7.40.
Strano’s best spell came against the eventual champions when she finished with figures of four for 28.
She picked up four wickets in the semi-final but was let down by her colleagues.
#WBBL05 Most Wickets:
— Fox Sports Lab (@FoxSportsLab) December 8, 2019
Molly Strano (Renegades) - 24 @ 16.91
Jess Jonassen (Heat) - 22 @ 18.31
Belinda Vakarewa (Hurricanes) - 20 @ 15.80
Sophie Devine (Strikers) - 19 @ 20.68
Sarah Coyte (Strikers) - 19 @ 21.26
Sammy-Jo Johnson (Heat) - 18 @ 20.38
Rookies of the tournament – Phoebe Litchfield & Hannah Darlington
Darlington, the 18-year-old seamer lit up the tournament with some excellent bowling for a team that finished last.
The Australian picked up as many as 16 wickets at a miserly economy rate of 6.82. She was named the ‘Young Gun’ of the series for her efforts.
Litchfield, at the age of 16 years and 185 days, become the youngest player in the history of the tournament to score a fifty.
With 16 wickets in 13 games, Hannah Darlington was @ThunderWBBL's most successful bowler. Her promising allround performances have seen her bag the 'Young Gun' award for #WBBL05.
— Women's CricZone (@WomensCricZone) December 5, 2019
Details: https://t.co/P1nlDxIZky#WBBL
Best Partnership: Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry
The duo of Healy and Perry were involved in the highest ever partnership in the history of the tournament.
The Sydney Sixers’ duo shared an unbeaten 199-run partnership against the Melbourne Stars as Healy notched his third WBBL century.
Guard of Honour:
Fast bowler Rene Farrell, all-rounder Alex Blackwell and leg-spinner Kirsten Beams all announced their retirement from WBBL.
Blackwell, Australia’s most-capped woman cricketer, and Beams played their final game for Sydney Thunder against Melbourne Renegades.
Farrell, who has 114 international wickets, will continue playing 50-over cricket at domestic level.
Kristen Beams, Alex Blackwell and Rene Farrell called time on their playing careers yesterday, making their last #WBBL appearances!
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) December 2, 2019
What incredible servants of the sport these three have been 🙌 pic.twitter.com/4cut3VZt7M
Brain fade of the tournament:
Emily Smith of Hobart Hurricanes was banned for a year by Cricket Australia after the wicket-keeper posted the team line-up on social media before the match.
The irony was that the game was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to bad weather.
