Melbourne Stars Women face Sydney Thunder Women in the 38th match of the Women’s Big Bash League 2025 at Junction Oval. Stars, sitting second on the points table with five wins from nine games, aim to snap a two-match losing streak against a Thunder side clinging to faint playoff hopes with three wins and a recent victory over Brisbane Heat.
Stars have shown strong consistency this season, bolstered by captain Annabel Sutherland‘s leadership, though recent defeats against Sydney Sixers exposed chasing vulnerabilities. Thunder, captained by Phoebe Litchfield, sit seventh with a negative net run rate of -0.296, making this win essential to avoid elimination.
Key performers for Stars include Meg Lanning, the tournament’s top run-scorer with 417 runs, and Sophie Day leading their bowling with 16 wickets. Thunder rely on Litchfield’s recent 61 off 43 balls and contributions from Heather Knight and Tahlia Wilson.
MS-W vs ST-W, WBBL|11: Match details
- Date and Time: December 5; 05:10 am IST/ 11:40 pm GMT/ 10:40 pm Local
- Venue: Junction Oval, Melbourne
MS-W vs ST-W, Head-to-Head Record in WBBL
Matches played: 19 | Sydney Thunder won: 12 | Melbourne Stars won: 04 | No result: 0
Junction Oval Pitch Report
Junction Oval in Melbourne presents a balanced yet bowler-friendly pitch for WBBL 2025-26 matches, particularly favoring pacers with consistent bounce and seam movement early on. Seven games this season show an average first-innings score around 150, with teams chasing successfully more often due to the surface easing under lights and potential dew influence. Pacers have claimed more wickets than spinners, making toss winners likely to bowl first and target below 160, while batters need solid technique against the lively bounce before it flattens for strokeplay later. Recent outings like Melbourne Stars’ 141/7 and Renegades’ 160/5 underline low-to-moderate totals, rewarding disciplined bowling attacks.
Squads:
Sydney Thunder: Georgia Voll, Tahlia Wilson (wk), Phoebe Litchfield (c), Heather Knight, Anika Learoyd, Lucy Finn, Laura Harris, Emily Arlott, Taneale Peschel, Shabnim Ismail, Samantha Bates, Chamari Athapaththu, Hannah Darlington, Sienna Eve, Ella Briscoe, Hasrat Gill, Alexandra Mavros
Melbourne Stars: Meg Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Amy Jones (wk), Annabel Sutherland (c), Maia Bouchier, Kim Garth, Danielle Gibson, Sasha Moloney, Georgia Prestwidge, Maisy Gibson, Sophie Day, Ella Hayward, Sophie Reid, Ines McKeon
MS-W vs ST-W, WBBL|11: Today’s Match Prediction
Case 1:
- Sydney Thunders Women wins the toss and bowls first
- Melbourne Stars Women’s powerplay score: 40-50
- Melbourne Stars Women’s total score: 140-150
Case 2:
- Melbourne Stars Women wins the toss and bowls first
- Sydney Thunders Women’s powerplay score: 50-60
- Sydney Thunders Women’s total score: 150-160
Match result: Team batting second to win the match.
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
