The 10 WBBL young guns who are ready for superstardom at the next level

The third-placed Heat, with a top order in good form, clash with fourth-place Adelaide Strikers in the eliminator at Adelaide Oval with the winner going on to face Melbourne Renegades on Thursday.

Grace Harris, who will lead Brisbane Heat’s charge at the top of the order, is one of those players immediately looking to replace the likes of Alyssa Healy and Ash Gardner in the Aussie side.

Because while the future of some of the sport’s household names such as Ellyse Perry and even Gardner has been debated in recent weeks, the next wave of Australian talent has stamped itself in abundance.

In coming years, WBBL07 will be a tournament which is looked back on as the launching pad of a host of promising careers — not just in Australia, but for India and England as well.

We name the 10 rising stars to watch from WBBL07 who are primed to become Big Bash favourites in the next few summers and will help shape Australian cricket’s future.

FUTURE STARS

TESS FLINTOFF (STARS)

Hard to believe the Stars opening bowler is still only 18-years-old. While it’s not all about pace, Flintoff regularly has the speed gun ticking over at 115km/h to 120km/h. She’s troubled some of the best batters in the WBBL this summer and finished the tournament with nine wickets from 12 games. The more experienced Kim Garth (15 wickets) and Annabel Sutherland (14) led the wickets for the Stars, but there’s no doubt Flintoff has all the attributes to push for a berth in the Aussie squad in coming seasons. Darcy Brown, Sutherland, Flintoff and Tayla Vlaeminck — the future of Aussie pace bowling could hardly be more exciting.

JEMIMAH RODRIGUES (RENEGADES)

The energetic opening batter has been one of the best fielders in the WBBL this season and put Indian selectors on notice with a dazzling summer for the Renegades. Her infectious personality has added so much to the WBBL coverage and most importantly for the Renegades she’s been an important contributor with the bat, scoring 317 runs. This tournament has put Rodrigues on the map to the international audience and although the Indian top-order is stacked, she’s going to be hard to leave sidelined after her performances for the Renegades.

LILLY MILLS (SCORCHERS)

Mills has been one of the breakout stars of WBBL07, claiming 16 wickets at an average of 12.8 to help Perth Scorchers finish the regular season two points clear after the regular season at the top of the table. After being a frustrated onlooker at Brisbane Heat, the off-spinner has relished her move west and her hauls this season include 4-25 against the Renegades and 3-18 against the Hurricanes. Talk about making the most of a long-awaited opportunity.

RUTH JOHNSTON (HURRICANES)

Another teenager on this list, 18-year-old Johnston finished as the third-highest run scorer and equal second for wickets at the Hurricanes. She gave the WBBL an indication of her talents with 214 runs and 13 wickets, finishing the campaign in style with knocks of 38, 63 and 15 and hauls of 2-17 and 2-39. One of Hobart’s best results of the summer was its victory over the Renegades in which Johnston contributed 63 from 46 balls and 2-17 including the prized wicket of Harmanpreet Kaur.

COURTNEY SIPPEL (HEAT)

Australia’s seam-bowling stocks are in great shape for future seasons and Sippel will join the likes of Flintoff, Vlaeminck and Brown in that mix. The 20-year-old announced herself with the wickets of Alyssa Healy and Ash Gardner against the Sixers and backed up that performance with the wickets of internationals Dane van Niekerk and Laura Wolvaardt. She charges in, hits the wicket and has shown her movement can trouble even the world’s best.

PHOEBE LITCHFIELD (THUNDER)

While her breakout summer was technically WBBL06, Litchfield was thrown in the deep end this season. The 18-year-old spent most of the tournament batting in the top-order for the inexperienced Thunder and the learning curve could be the making of one of Australia’s next batting stars. She scored 49, 31, 40 and 40 in consecutive innings early in the campaign and took on more responsibility than most 18-year-old batters ever will.

KATIE MACK (STRIKERS)

The 28-year-old might be a WBBL rising star for 2021, but the thing is … she’s actually always been there, since the first season of the big-hitting tournament!

The Adelaide Strikers’ opening batter has played 97 games in a WBBL career spanning seven seasons (she played 53 games for the Melbourne Stars before crossing to Adelaide in 2019).

But she’s had a standout season in the electric blue in 2021. The secret to her success? She says, it’s been about going back to basics, and it’s paid dividends.

In 2020, Mack scored 251 runs for the Strikers from 14 games, top scoring with 58. This year she’s hit 426 runs from the same number of games, with a top score of an unbeaten 89 (her new career best with the bat). This places her fourth for most-runs.

Has settled beautifully into the Strikers top order and is a much-loved member of the team.

HANNAH DARLINGTON (THUNDER)

It might have been a largely frustrating season for the Thunder, but the silver lining has been the continued growth and development of the teenager Darlington.

Having made her international debut in Australia’s recent multi-format series win against India, not only did Darlington put in another belter of a WBBL season (her third in the bright green), but she captained the side after Rachael Haynes withdrew following the birth of her firstborn son.

Darlington may not have matched her wicket haul WBBL06 – 19 – but her 16 wickets in WBBL07 has made her the side’s leading wicket-taker this season.

She also proved some credential with the bat, knocking together 60 runs from down the order (she made 20 runs last year).

ELLIE FALCONER (RENEGADES)

Having spent four years on the wrong side of the boundary line, a change of scenery has suited the fast bowler.

Falconer had been on the Adelaide Strikers’ list since WBBL03 without playing a game but now, four seasons later, the 22-year-old played her long-awaited debut game, after signing a multi-year deal with Melbourne Renegades.

Falconer missed the 2020-21 season (both WBBL and WNCL) with a stress fracture in her foot, which has now healed, enabling her to have a full pre-season with her state side, SA Scorpions.

She’s played every game in the bright red in WBBL07, taking 10 wickets, including taking a wicket in her opening game, as her new side now looks to impact finals.

Her best figures 4-29, came against the Heat, and included the key dismissals of opener Georgia Redmayne for 2, and Jess Jonassen for a duck.

ISSY WONG (THUNDER)

In a WBBL season largely bereft of English cricketers, Issy Wong has been a welcome addition to the competition.

The 19-year-old may have taken a while to get going, but she’s shone in the back half of the tournament, taking out a Player of the Match accolade when the Thunder beat the Sixers in the Sydney Smash by

Wong bowled exceptionally at the start of the innings, picking up the crucial wicket of Alyssa Healy and then bowled Ashleigh Gardner for a first-ball duck.

But she’s also proved to be handy adding on quick runs at the end of an innings.

Wong only took to the crease six times from her 13 matches, but made 56 runs in total, for a strike rate of 155.55 and a top score of 43. The England train-on player also took nine wickets too, giving the English selectors some food for thought ahead of the Women’s Ashes starting in January.