WNCL run home: Three states chase last spot in Final

An exciting final week of Women’s National Cricket League action will determine who meets two-time reigning champions Tasmania in the final. 

Tasmania are already locked into their third straight domestic one-day final, but have a chance to secure another home final at Blundstone Arena when they play back-to-back games against Victoria in Melbourne this week. 

Meanwhile the Vics are among three contenders to finish inside the top two and join the Tigers in the decider, alongside Queensland and Western Australia. 

Fittingly, the Fire will play WA in Brisbane this week in their final two games of the regular season. 

WNCL 2023-24 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Total points PTS
1 Tasmanian Tigers Women TAS	12	9	2	0	1	0.98	0	5	43
2 Queensland Fire QLD	12	8	3	0	1	1.224	0	7	41
3 Victoria Women VIC	12	7	5	0	0	0.013	0	4	32
4 Western Australia Women WA	12	6	6	0	0	-0.113	0	4	28
5 NSW Women NSW	12	6	6	0	0	-0.105	0	2	26
6 South Australia Women SA	12	4	8	0	0	-0.063	0	3	19
7 ACT Meteors ACT	12	1	11	0	0	-2.006	0	0	4

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

PTS: Total points

South Australia, New South Wales and ACT Meteors are all out of the running, although the Scorpions and Breakers will play in Sydney this week to round out their campaigns.  

The ACT have a final-round bye, so their season is already over.

1. Tasmania (39 points)

Played 10 | Won 8 | Lost 1 | NR 1 | NRR 1.166 | Bonus points: 5 

Remaining matches 

February 12 & 14 v Victoria (Junction Oval) 

The equation 

The Tigers have their third-straight WNCL final berth locked in, so now it is a matter of securing top spot and the home final. 

Given their handy eight-point lead over second-ranked Queensland, they will need to win just one of the two games against Victoria to achieve that. 

Helping their cause will be the return of Heather Graham after the allrounder was not named in Australia’s Test squad, but they will be without Molly Strano who has a hand injury.

2. Queensland (31 points)

Played 10 | Won 6 | Lost 3 | NR 1 | NRR 0.77 | Bonus points: 5 

Remaining matches 

February 15 & 17 v Western Australia (AB Field) 

The equation 

Given both Tassie v Victoria games will be done and dusted before Queensland play WA, the Fire will have the advantage of knowing exactly what they need to do when they step onto AB Field. 

Provided Tasmania win at least one of their games, Queensland can lock in their spot in the final with just one win over WA. If the Vics pull of back-to-back wins, the Fire will also need to win both their matches to secure second spot. 

Grace Harris should be available for the Fire, having returned to state cricket following the T20 leg of the series against South Africa.

3. Western Australia (28 points)

Played 10 | Won 6 | Lost 4 | NRR 0.504 | Bonus points: 4 

Remaining matches 

February 15 & 17 v Queensland (AB Field) 

The equation  

Like Queensland, WA will know the lay of the land when they begin their final round.  

But one thing is certain: they will need to beat the Fire twice to snatch second spot. 

If both they and Victoria win their remaining matches, second spot could come down to net run rate, or bonus points. 

4. Victoria (28 points)

Played 10 | Won 8 | Lost 1 | NRR 0.036 | Bonus points: 4 

Remaining matches 

February 12 & 14 v Tasmania (Junction Oval) 

The equation 

Victoria are in a tricky position – not least of all because their captain Sophie Molineux has been called away on Australia Test duties. 

They are on a hot streak, having won six matches in a row, but will need to knock off reigning champions Tasmania twice and hope Western Australia and Queensland split their games in order to leapfrog their rivals into second spot.