Cricket is evolving across the globe, with new talents emerging from unexpected corners. One such talent is Ni Made Putri Suwandewi from Indonesia, who is turning heads in the international cricket scene. With her impressive inswingers and deceptive slower balls, Suwandewi has earned a spot in the highly competitive Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), where she will represent the Perth Scorchers.
Key Skills That Set Her Apart
One of Suwandewi’s key strengths is her ability to bowl a menacing inswinger. Her pinpoint accuracy with yorkers, even on less-than-ideal pitches in Indonesia, has made her a standout performer.
Suwandewi made her international debut for Indonesia in 2019, quickly establishing herself as a leading player. In just 40 WT20Is, she has taken 49 wickets at an impressive average of 8.18. Her economy rate of 2.97 is unmatched in women’s T20I cricket, proving her ability to contain batters while also taking regular wickets.
The WBBL Opportunity
The opportunity to play in the WBBL came after Perth Scorchers coach Becky Grundy and high-performance boss Kade Harvey noticed Suwandewi during a scouting trip to Bali. After months of close monitoring, they decided to bring her on as an Associate rookie for the upcoming WBBL season.
Suwandewi’s signing couldn’t have come at a better time for the Scorchers. With veteran bowler Piepa Cleary sidelined for the entire summer due to a knee injury, the team needed more depth in their pace attack.
How Suwandewi Fits into the Scorchers’ Bowling Lineup
Piepa Cleary, a key fast bowler for the Scorchers, will miss the entire WBBL season due to a knee injury, leaving a significant void in the team’s pace department. This created a unique opportunity for Suwandewi to step in and prove herself in one of the world’s top domestic cricket leagues.
As an Associate rookie, Suwandewi will primarily provide backup in the bowling department. However, her skillset offers flexibility. Her natural inswingers, paired with a deceptive slower ball, make her a threat in any match situation, and she is expected to play a crucial role when key players are unavailable.
The connection between WA Cricket and Persatuan Cricket Indonesia began with a scouting trip to Bali earlier in the year. Coaches Becky Grundy and Kade Harvey were impressed by the standard of women’s cricket in Indonesia, particularly Suwandewi’s performance against Mongolia.
“She bowls a natural inswinger, but has excellent variety with a good slower ball and can hit the yorkers. She’s quite short, but a really skilful bowler. We’re going to be missing some international players at different stages. It was a good opportunity to utilise the rules in terms of the Associate rookie. But we wouldn’t have done it if we didn’t think she was capable of contributing,” Harvey told ESPNcricinfo.
The signing of Suwandewi reflects a broader partnership aimed at developing women’s cricket in Indonesia. With 200,000 women playing across 21 provinces, the potential for growth is vast. WA Cricket hopes to aid Indonesia in improving facilities, coaching, and overall cricket infrastructure.
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