Photo Credit: Brisbane Heat
Chamari Athapaththu and Charli Knott have been recognised for their outstanding efforts this season by taking out the Weber WBBL’s top individual honours.
Athapaththu, Sydney Thunder’s top order batter, has been awarded the Weber WBBL|09 Player of the Tournament after a career best WBBL season, while Brisbane Heat all-rounder, Knott, has been named the WBBL|09 Young Gun.
Both players were also named in the WBBL|09 Team of the Tournament, with Athapaththu nominated by all eight Club coaches while Knott was named 12th with three votes.
Weber WBBL|09 Player of the Tournament: Chamari Athapaththu
In her fifth WBBL season and first with the Sydney Thunder, Athapaththu played a key role with both bat and ball, helping the team reach their first finals campaign since WBBL|06. Her match-winning contributions were recognised by the standing umpires at each match, who vote for the Player of the Tournament award.
Athapaththu was lethal with the bat this season, smashing 511 runs at 42.58 apiece to sit second on the WBBL|09 run scoring chart. One of two players to 500 runs for the campaign, Athapaththu had a strike rate of 129.69, with 17 sixes and 69 fours to her name.
Her impact with the ball was also felt, taking nine wickets including 3-20 against the Sydney Sixers. She finished the season with an economy rate of 6.79 and eight catches.
The Player of the Tournament was extremely close this season, Athapaththu took out the award with 30 votes, only one ahead of Adelaide Strikers’ batter Katie Mack who finished with 29. Perth Scorchers’ Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine were right behind with 27 and 26 votes apiece, while Melbourne Stars’ Annabel Sutherland finished fifth with 24 votes.
Weber WBBL|08 Player of the Tournament top 5:
Chamari Athapaththu, Sydney Thunder, 30
Katie Mack, Adelaide Strikers, 29
Beth Mooney, Perth Scorchers, 27
Sophie Devine, Perth Scorchers, 26
Annabel Sutherland, Melbourne Stars, 24
Weber WBBL|09 Young Gun: Charli Knott
Australia’s National Selection Panel has nominated the all-rounder as the outstanding young player from this season after she played a key role in helping her team finish third and remain on the hunt for the WBBL|09 Championship Trophy.
Weber WBBL|09 marks Knott’s sixth season with the Brisbane Heat, and came as her most memorable performance to date.
Her 220 runs for the year in fourteen innings came at a strike rate of 147.65, while ten wickets and exceptional athleticism in the field were also a sign of her potential.
Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s General Manager of Big Bash Leagues, said:
“The League congratulates Chamari Athapaththu and Charli Knott on their outstanding Weber WBBL|09 seasons. Both have demonstrated exceptional skill, athleticism and power on the field and are fantastic role models off it.
“The extremely tight race for WBBL Player of the Tournament demonstrates the quality of the competition and the depth of talent across the League.
“With both players fighting to keep their finals campaign alive this evening, we wish them luck and look forward to celebrating all they have achieved this season.”
Tickets to the Weber WBBL|09 Finals series matches are on sale now at cricket.com.au/big-bash
The Eliminator: Brisbane Heat v Sydney Thunder, Tuesday, November 28, 4.40pm AWST/7.40pm AEDT, WACA Ground
The Challenger: Perth Scorchers v Winner of The Eliminator, Wednesday, November 29, 4.40pm AWST/7.40pm AEDT, WACA Ground
The Final: Adelaide Strikers v Winner of The Challenger, Saturday November 2, 6.40pm ACDT/7.10pm AEDT, Adelaide Oval
