Five all-time highlights from Women's Cricket Super League
The six-team Twenty20 tournament, operated by the England and Wales Cricket Board, will make way for The Hundred – a 100-ball competition that features city-based men's and women's teams and launches in 2020.
Here are five standout moments from the WCSL over the years:
The return of Charlotte Edwards
The veteran England Women player, who led the team to three Ashes series wins, the World Cup and the World Twenty20 titles in 2009, has a special connection with the WCSL. Edwards captained Southern Vipers soon after her retirement, in the inaugural edition of the competition.
Winning four out of their five matches, the Vipers established their dominance from the get-go, and qualified for the final of the tournament. Edwards led the team expertly and with her experience, helped Vipers win the inaugural WCSL title.
The first WCSL century
New Zealand opener Suzie Bates is one of the most consistent batters in international cricket. She has been a part of the Southern Vipers contingent since 2016 and her performances, both with the bat and ball, have been instrumental in securing them victories.
Bates, who amassed over 900 runs across three WCSL seasons, became the first woman to hit a century in the competition in 2017. In the second edition, Southern Vipers finished the group stage at the top of the table, storming into the final thanks to Bates' all-round performances. Bates was the second-highest scorer with 260 runs at a whopping average of 86.66, and was also her team's leading wicket-taker with eight scalps. Her best performance came against Loughborough Lightning when she smashed 72-ball 119*, which remains the highest individual score in WCSL history.
Smriti Mandhana announces her arrival
Smriti Mandhana, one of India's star players, joined Western Storm team in the third season of the WCSL. Mandhana was pivotal to their success in 2018, and catapulted them to the semi-final. She was the leading run-scorer that season, with 421 runs in 10 games at an average of 60.14, including a splendid century. She smashed 45 fours and 21 sixes during the tournament, and also registered what was then the fastest WCSL fifty, off 19 balls.
Mandhana won the Player of the Tournament award for her incredible performances that season. She went on to carry her superb form in the 2018 ICC Women's T20 World Cup and was the third-highest run-scorer in the competition.
The mighty South African contingent
South Africa players lit up the WCSL with their performances over the years. In the inaugural edition, Proteas captain Dane van Niekerk recorded the then highest score in the league – 91 off just 64 balls – a record that stood until Bates' century the following season. Niekerk, who has played for Loughborough Lightning and Surrey Stars, is also in the top wicket-takers' list with 32 scalps at an average of 16.53, which is the best among the top 10 bowlers.
Top-order batter Lizelle Lee has been one of the most successful players in the competition in its last three years. She has scored over 750 WCSL runs with one hundred and five fifties, and is one of the only six centurions in the league. She is also one of the three players to have been involved in four century-stands in WCSL. Lee, along with van Niekerk are also the only two South Africans to take more than 10 catches in the competition.
The other successful member of this South African trio is Marizanne Kapp, who was the second-highest scorer for Loughborough Lightning in the final season. She also consistently had an exceptional economy rate through the tournament.
Rise of young stars
The WCSL gave up-and-coming cricketers the platform to showcase their talent, as well as the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in the game. It bridged the gap between international cricketers and domestic talent across England.
Players like Mady Villiers, Freya Davies, Sophia Dunkley, Bryony Smith and Linsey Smith, who made her England debut at the 2018 ICC Women's World Cup, have broken into the national squad courtesy their WCSL exploits.