One of eight founding WBBL teams, the Adelaide Strikers are aligned with the men's team of the same name.[2] At the official WBBL launch on 10 July 2015, Megan Schutt was unveiled as the team's first-ever player signing.[3]Andrea McCauley was appointed as the Strikers' inaugural coach, while Lauren Ebsary became the team's inaugural captain.[4][5]
The Strikers played their first match on 12 December at Aurora Stadium against the Hobart Hurricanes, losing by two runs.[6] Their first win came on 20 December at Allan Border Field against the Sydney Thunder, chasing down a target of 149 runs with six wickets in hand and six balls to spare.[7]
Rivalries
Perth Scorchers
In the league's early years, the Strikers and the Perth Scorchers experienced several instances of senior members switching allegiances:
Inaugural Strikers captain Lauren Ebsary joined the Scorchers after just one season.[8][9]
Former Scorchers captain Suzie Bates moved to the Strikers ahead of WBBL|03 and became the first player to lead two WBBL clubs.[10][11]
After scoring the most runs for Perth throughout WBBL|01, Charlotte Edwards transferred to Adelaide in her final year of cricket.[12] The following season, Edwards assumed an assistant coaching role for the Strikers.[13]
13 January 2018, Traeger Park: In a match reduced to 16 overs per side due to a rain delay, the Scorchers could only muster a first innings score of 9/87. In the run chase, Suzie Bates played a lone hand of 49 not out to help the Strikers win by six wickets with one ball to spare.
9 November 2019, Karen Rolton Oval: An innings of 80 runs from 58 deliveries by Amy Jones helped Perth post a total of 3/173. Despite a slow start to the run chase, Adelaide finished strongly with Bridget Patterson scoring 60 off 32 balls. However, Heather Graham conceded just a single off the final ball to give the Scorchers a two-run win.
7 December 2019, Allan Border Field: In the WBBL|05 semi-finals, the Strikers comfortably reached the required total of 127 with eight wickets in hand and eleven balls remaining to eliminate the Scorchers from the tournament.
Brisbane Heat
Noteworthy matches between the Strikers and the Brisbane Heat include:
21 January 2017, The Gabba: Chasing a modest total of 6/127, the Strikers required three runs for victory with two balls remaining. Brisbane medium-pacerDeandra Dottin then bowledTegan McPharlin before conceding two runs off the final delivery to force a tie. In the resulting super over, Dottin–who had earlier scored 51 runs with the bat–capped off a dominant all-round performance by taking two wickets and limiting Adelaide to just four runs. Beth Mooney scored the winning runs to secure the Heat's first finals appearance.[16][17][18]
8 December 2019, Allan Border Field: In the WBBL|05 final, the Heat gained early ascendancy through quick bowler Georgia Prestwidge, who dismissed Player of the Tournament Sophie Devine for just five. A "superb"[19] knock of 55 runs from 33 balls by Amanda-Jade Wellington helped the Strikers to recover to a competitive score of 7/161. The match swung heavily toward Brisbane's favour in the fifth over of the run chase when Sammy-Jo Johnson hit four sixes against the bowling of Devine, though Johnson would be out caught-and-bowled on the last ball of the over. When Devine returned to bowl the eleventh over of the innings, Heat batter Jess Jonassen was dropped by Wellington at extra cover. Jonassen then scored a boundary from each of the next three deliveries she faced, taking Brisbane's required scoring rate down to less than a run a ball.[20] The Heat went on to win with six wickets in hand and eleven balls remaining, claiming their second consecutive championship. For her contribution of 56 not out, Beth Mooney was named Player of the Final.[21]
The following is a list of cricketers who have played for the Strikers after making their debut in the national women's team (the period they spent as both a Strikers squad member and an Australian-capped player is in brackets):
Current season
