Lauren Ebsary
Encyclopedia
Lauren Kaye Ebsary is an Australia
n cricket
er. Primarily a batsman, she is a current member of the Australia national women's cricket team.
Ebsary made her senior debut for South Australia
in the Women's National Cricket League
(WNCL) during the 2000–01 season at the age of 18. Although she played in every match in her first season, she was shielded from much of the action and made only six runs. Ebsary was selected in every match in her first three seasons, but in that time, scored only 136 runs at a batting average
of 8.50 and took 13 wickets from 24 matches. The following year, Ebsary raised her career average above 10 for the first time and was selected in the Australian Under-23 team. In 2004–05 she made more than 100 runs in a season for the first time, and the following year she made 149 runs at 29.80. In 2006–07, she struggled and totalled only 101 runs at 14.42 and took three wickets, and after the season she transferred to Western Australia
. The change of state yielded dividends in the 2007–08 season, as she made 236 runs and took eight wickets, her highest aggregate of runs and wickets in one tournament.
At the start of the 2008–09 season, Ebsary gained selection to the Australian national team and made her One Day International (ODI) debut in the home series against India. She made 37 runs at 18.50, and after scoring 207 runs in the WNCL season, was retained in the national team. After making her ODI top-score of 86 in the Rose Bowl series
against New Zealand, she was selected for the 2009 World Cup
, but was in and out of the team, making 106 runs at 35.33. In June 2009, she played in all of Australia's matches at the 2009 World Twenty20
and made her Test debut
against England in a bilateral series after the World Twenty20. Ebsary scored 211 runs during the 2009–10 WNCL season to retain her position in the national squad for the Rose Bowl series, but after a series of poor performances, she spent the latter half of the campaign watching from the sidelines.
, Lauren Ebsary was one of four children—two boys and two girls—of Peter and Kaye Ebsary. While pursuing her secondary education at Snowtown Area School
, attended a cricket coaching clinic organised by her school in 1996. It was there that her talent was noticed by Australian Test player
and development officer for the South Australian Cricket Association
(SACA) Joanne Broadbent
, who said that Ebsary "had a lot of potential from the start". After Ebsary made her debut for Australia, Broadbent said "I’ve always believed Lauren had the capacity to represent her country." Ebsary was initially a tall and gangly pace bowler
who mixed testing deliveries with erratic ones, including many wides.
During her teenage years before she acquired a driver's licence, Ebsary's mother drove her to the state capital, Adelaide
—more than 100 km away—to play for the Flinders University Cricket Club
in SACA's district women's competition on weekends. Back in Snowtown, she practiced against her father and one of her brothers. In 1997–98 she attended the state under-17s trials and was successful in gaining selection at the age of 14. Due to the lack of opportunities to females to play cricket at local youth level, she played her first competitive game at the national championships in Brisbane
.
In January 2000, at the age of 16, Ebsary was chosen for the South Australian team for the Under-19 interstate championships. Playing as a specialist batsman—she bowled a solitary wicket
less over
in six matches—she did not failed to pass five in her first five matches, before scoring an unbeaten
34 in the final match against Tasmania. Nevertheless, it was not a successful tournament, yielding 45 runs
at a batting average
of 9.00.
(WNCL). She made her debut against reigning champions New South Wales
, and after not batting, took one wicket
for the loss of six runs (1/6) from two overs
as South Australia lost by seven wickets. In the next match of the double-header the next day, she took 0/15 from two overs and was run out
for a duck
in her maiden senior innings in a 22-run loss. During the season, Ebsary often batted at the bottom of the order in a specialist bowler's position and thus rarely batted, but she hardly bowled, delivering only six overs in total in her first seven matches. In effect, she was shielded from taking on a meaningful workload and not trusted to contribute with either bat or ball. In the last match of the season, she was finally given a substantial opportunity against Queensland
, taking 3/21 from seven overs, as South Australia proceeded to a six-wicket victory. Nevertheless, in eight matches she scored only six runs at 2.00 in three innings, and took five wickets at a bowling average
of 9.40 and an economy rate of 3.61. South Australia won only three matches and did not make the finals.
During the 2001–02 WNCL, Ebsary played in all eight matches, and was given more responsibility. This season, she batted in seven innings and bowled 51 of a maximum possible 80 overs. In the first match of the season, she took 3/29 from 10 overs against the titleholders New South Wales, and she scored 51 in the fifth match against Victoria
. Ebsary did not have a significant impact in the other matches, never taking more than one wicket per match or reaching double figures with the bat. She ended the season with 67 runs at 9.57 and six wickets at 30.83 at an economy rate of 3.62. South Australia won four of their eight matches and did not make the final.
Ebsary was 18 during the season and still eligible for the Under-19s and she represented her state during the tournament, which was held in the middle of a break in the WNCL. She scored 119 runs at 19.83 and took nine wickets at 15.55 with a best of 4/27 against the Australian Capital Territory. At the end of the season, Ebsary was chosen in the Australia Youth team to play New Zealand A and New Zealand. In four matches she took two wickets at 32.00 at an economy rate of 2.66 but had no impact with the bat, scoring five runs at 1.66.
In the 2002–03 WNCL, Ebsary played in all eight matches, but was given less responsibility with the ball and had little success. She bowled only 23 overs and took two wickets at 34.00. She also had little effect with the bat, scoring 63 runs at 11.50 with a best score of 18. South Australia won five of their matches, narrowly missing the finals. Up to this point her batting average in 16 completed innings was 8.37.
At the start of the 2003–04 season, Ebsary was chosen in an Australian Under-23 team that played a two-innings match against the touring England team. Ebsary scored nine not out
and took 4/35 and 0/4 from a total of 20 overs. She was somewhat more successful in the WNCL than in previous years, bowling 28 overs and taking five wickets at 17.00 at an economy rate of 3.03 with a best of 2/19 in the last match of the season with Victoria. She scored 91 runs at 15.16, her highest season aggregate and average to date, with a best of 26. This brought Ebsary's career average above 10 for the first time. South Australia won four of their matches and another was washed out, failing to make the final. She played in three matches for Australia Youth against New Zealand A at the end of the season, scoring 29 runs at 29.00 and taking three wickets at 16.66 at an economy rate of 4.54.
In 2004–05, Ebsary scored more than 100 runs in a WNCL season for the first time. She scored 125 runs at 20.83, averaging more than 20 for the first time in a season. Her best score of 36 not out came in a ten-wicket win over Western Australia
, and in the other match against the state the preceding day, she scored 28 and took 2/26 in a 29-run win. Her best bowling performance came in the first match of the season as she took 3/32 and scored 25 in a six-wicket win over Queensland. Ebsary ended the season with six wickets at 26.83. She bowled 37 overs and conceded 4.35 runs per over.
In the 2005–06 WNCL season, Ebsary struggled to make an impact with the ball, taking four wickets at 43.00 at the relatively high economy rate of 4.91. Her figures were flattered by a haul of 3/32 in the final match of the season against Western Australia, in which she also made 26 to help seal a three-wicket win. Her batting continued to progress; she scored 149 runs at 29.80, including a best of 43 against Victoria. South Australia won five of their eight matches, again missing the finals.
Ebsary had more difficult times in the 2006–07 WNCL season. She took only three wickets at 60.33 and an economy rate of 5.14, the worst average and economy rate she had recorded for a WNCL season. She never took more than one wicket in any match. Her batting also regressed, making 101 runs at 14.42, more than half coming in a 51 against New South Wales in the last match of the season. This was Ebsary's last season for her native state as she moved to Western Australia for the 2007–08 season.
for the first time in her career. In the first match she made 72 before taking 4/46 to help secure a 104-run win, before scoring 62 the next day to lay the foundation for a five-wicket win. Ebsary scored 236 runs at 29.50; her previous best WNCL aggregate was 149. However, she did have trouble in running between the wickets; three of her eight dismissals
were run outs. She took eight wickets at 33.87 at an economy rate of 4.43 and had a workload more than 50% heavier than in previous seasons. Ebsary was not as successful in the fledgling Twenty20
format; in two matches for the season, her first in the most abbreviated form of cricket, she scored 33 runs at 16.50 and conceded 51 runs at an economy rate of 7.46 without taking a wicket. Ebsary later said "Looking back, the move to the West has been the best thing for my cricket...After settling our line-up, it gave me a chance to let loose at the top of the order and helped my confidence to be aggressive at the batting crease...Under the leadership of Avril Fahey, the West Aussies were very welcoming and I found my groove at the top of the order."
, which the hosts won by eight wickets with more than 12 overs to spare. The next day, she was given her debut in the second match of the series, at the Sydney Cricket Ground
. Ebsary made five not out as the hosts made 6/215 batting first. Ebsary came in at 6/194 with 14 balls remaining in the Australia innings. She took a single off each of the five balls she faced, rotating the strike as her partner Lisa Sthalekar
completed an unbeaten century. In the seventh over of India's reply, Ebsary's throw from the boundary ran out
Jaya Sharma
as the opener attempted to take a third run, leaving the tourists at 2/9.
Bowling in the middle of the innings, she then took 1/17 from five overs, her maiden wicket being Thirush Kamini
caught behind by wicket-keeper Jodie Fields for one run, leaving India at 5/71 in the 26th over. She then claimed two catches to complete the eighth and ninth wickets—those of tail-enders Amita Sharma
and Nooshin Al Khader—as Australia won by 86 runs. Ebsary went on to play in the last four matches of the series. She was promoted to the No. 4 position in the next match, but failed to capitalise on her opportunity, making a duck. She bowled five overs without taking a wicket in a 54-run win. She then made 32 from 43 balls as an opener, hitting six boundaries in the fourth ODI at Manuka Oval
in Canberra
, helping to set up a 118-run win. In the final match, she took 1/13 from four overs, taking the wicket of leading Indian batsman Mithali Raj
and was not required to bat in a seven-wicket win. She ended her debut series with 37 runs at 18.50 and two wickets at 34.50 at an economy rate of 3.83. Australia took the series 5–0 in a dominant display; all their wins were by at least seven wickets or 54 runs.
In the WNCL, Ebsary went wicketless for the entire season for the first time, conceding 127 runs at an economy rate of 4.70. She remained productive with the bat, scoring 207 runs at 25.87, making 43 and 57, her two highest scores of the season, in the double-header against Victoria. Western Australia won three of eight matches and did not make the final. Ebsary made 34 and 25 in her two T20 matches for the season, but had no success with the ball, conceding a total of 36 runs from three overs without taking a wicket.
for a Rose Bowl series
, Ebsary was left out of the first two ODIs against New Zealand, but was recalled for the next two matches at Seddon Park
in Hamilton
. She scored 30 from 47 balls in the first match before making her ODI top-score of 86 the next day. Batting at No. 3, she struck nine boundaries and faced only 76 balls, scoring at faster than a run-a-ball. This helped set up Australia's 4/307 and they went on to win by 44 runs, their second consecutive victory. The teams returned to Australia where Ebsary made her T20 international debut at the Sydney Cricket Ground
. She did not bat or bowl in a rain-affected Australian win.
In two warm-up matches ahead of the World Cup in Australia, Ebsary made 18 and 8 against England and Sri Lanka respectively. Nevertheless, Ebsary was retained for the match against New Zealand, scoring one at No. 7 as Australia failed in their run-chase. It was the start of a tournament in which Ebsary was moved around in the Australian team structure. Ebsary was dropped for the second match against South Africa, which Australia won, and recalled for the last group match against the West Indies. She made 15 from 28 balls at No. 5, in a 47-run win to reach the next round. In the first Super Six match, Ebsary made 39 not out from 36 balls at No. 7 in the closing stages of the game, attempting to hold together the Australian lower-order as they fell 16 runs short of India's 5/234. She was then promoted to No. 3 in the following match, making 51 from 71 balls against Pakistan after Leah Poulton
and Shelley Nitschke
had put on a century opening stand, as the Australians completed a 107-run win. Ebsary was left out of the final Super Six match against England, which Australia won, which was not enough for them to reach the final. She missed the third-place playoff against India, which was lost. She ended with 106 runs at 35.33 from her four matches.
Ebsary was selected for Australia's team for the inaugural Women's World Twenty20 held in England in 2009. The Australians hosted New Zealand for a three-match series in tropical Darwin
at the beginning of June before the World Cup, and Ebsary made 17.00 at 8.50 in her three innings. She then made 13 in the team's warm-up match on English soil, against the hosts, but was nevertheless retained for all the matches. She made a duck as Australia lost their opening match against New Zealand, and was not required to bat in the win over the West Indies. Ebsary made 23 run out in the final group match as Australia defeated South Africa to reach the semi-finals. There she scored eight not out before England overhauled Australia's score to reach the final, which they won. She ended the tournament with 44 runs at 22.00.
. England won all the matches except the last, which was washed out.
Ebsary made her Test debut against England in a one-off match at County Road in Worcestershire
. Australia batted first and Ebsary came to the crease at No. 9 with the total on 7/271. She scored 3 from 15 balls before being trapped leg before wicket
by Katherine Brunt
, as Australia were dismissed for 309. She then took 2/35. She claimed her maiden Test wicket by having Taylor caught by Poulton for 10 and then had Jenny Gunn
caught behind by Jodie Fields for 41. This ended a 77-run partnership with Beth Morgan and left the hosts at 6/136 but they recovered to reach 268, still enough for Australia to take a 41-run lead. Ebsary was then promoted to No. 4 and made 21 as Australia set the hosts a target of 273 before the match was drawn.
The WNCL was expanded in 2009–10 with the addition of the Australian Capital Territory
, so ten round-robin matches were scheduled, and Ebsary played in all, scoring 211 runs at 21.10. After being wicketless the previous season, she took seven wickets at 31.28, although opposition batsmen did attack her bowling, scoring 5.17 runs per over. Her best batting and bowling performances came in the same match against her native state, taking 3/37 from nine overs to help dismiss them for 191 before scoring 48 to help secure a two-wicket win. In the last two matches of the season, she scored 43 and 42 in consecutive wins over Queensland.
Ebsary had a successful time in the domestic T20s, now part of a full interstate tournament instead of a series of one-off matches, scoring 137 runs at 22.83 and taking four wickets at 26.25 at an economy rate of 7.50. Her best score of 41 came in a win over Tasmania
and she also scored 29 and took 2/14 in a win over the Australian Capital Territory.
Ebsary was retained for the Rose Bowl series against New Zealand and played in the first four ODIs in Australia. She made 31 runs at 15.50 and after Poulton had made a century in the fourth match, was dropped for the fifth and final match as the hosts took a clean sweep. The ODIs were followed by three T20 matches at Bellerive Oval
in Hobart
and two more in New Zealand. Ebsary played in the first four T20 games, scoring 39 runs at 9.75 before being left out of the final match as New Zealand took a clean sweep. She was overlooked for the three ODIs in New Zealand, which the tourists swept.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. Primarily a batsman, she is a current member of the Australia national women's cricket team.
Ebsary made her senior debut for South Australia
South Australian Scorpions
The South Australian Scorpions are the women's representative cricket team for South AustraliaThe Scorpions have played 102 matches for 44 wins, 2 no results and 56 losses.- External links :* Official Website of the * Official Website of...
in the Women's National Cricket League
Women's National Cricket League
The Women's National Cricket League is the national competition for women's cricket in Australia.The league competition involves the six member teams playing each other in two 50-over limited-over matches, with the side finishing at the top of the table after the preliminary rounds earning the...
(WNCL) during the 2000–01 season at the age of 18. Although she played in every match in her first season, she was shielded from much of the action and made only six runs. Ebsary was selected in every match in her first three seasons, but in that time, scored only 136 runs at a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 8.50 and took 13 wickets from 24 matches. The following year, Ebsary raised her career average above 10 for the first time and was selected in the Australian Under-23 team. In 2004–05 she made more than 100 runs in a season for the first time, and the following year she made 149 runs at 29.80. In 2006–07, she struggled and totalled only 101 runs at 14.42 and took three wickets, and after the season she transferred to Western Australia
Western Fury
The Western Fury is the representative women's cricket team of Western Australia and is based in Perth, Western Australia. Their home ground is the WACA Ground, although from 2011/2012 they will also play games at Murdoch University....
. The change of state yielded dividends in the 2007–08 season, as she made 236 runs and took eight wickets, her highest aggregate of runs and wickets in one tournament.
At the start of the 2008–09 season, Ebsary gained selection to the Australian national team and made her One Day International (ODI) debut in the home series against India. She made 37 runs at 18.50, and after scoring 207 runs in the WNCL season, was retained in the national team. After making her ODI top-score of 86 in the Rose Bowl series
Rose Bowl series
The Rose Bowl series is a series of Women's One-day International cricket matches between Australia and New Zealand that has been running since February 1985. It was originally known as the Shell Rose Bowl and the name was changed to the Rose Bowl Series as recently as 2001.Until 2000, the...
against New Zealand, she was selected for the 2009 World Cup
2009 Women's Cricket World Cup
The 2009 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the tournament and was held in Australia from 7 to 22 March 2009, using the sport's One Day International format....
, but was in and out of the team, making 106 runs at 35.33. In June 2009, she played in all of Australia's matches at the 2009 World Twenty20
2009 ICC Women's World Twenty20
The 2009 ICC Women's World Twenty20 competition took on a different format from that of the men's, having eight teams split into two pools followed directly by the semi-finals and final. All pool stage matches were played at the County Ground in Taunton...
and made her Test debut
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
against England in a bilateral series after the World Twenty20. Ebsary scored 211 runs during the 2009–10 WNCL season to retain her position in the national squad for the Rose Bowl series, but after a series of poor performances, she spent the latter half of the campaign watching from the sidelines.
Early years
Born in Snowtown, South AustraliaSnowtown, South Australia
The town of Snowtown is located in the Mid North of South Australia 145 km north of Adelaide and lies on the main route between Adelaide and Perth. The town's elevation is 103 metres and on average the town receives 389 mm of rainfall per annum.-History:...
, Lauren Ebsary was one of four children—two boys and two girls—of Peter and Kaye Ebsary. While pursuing her secondary education at Snowtown Area School
Snowtown, South Australia
The town of Snowtown is located in the Mid North of South Australia 145 km north of Adelaide and lies on the main route between Adelaide and Perth. The town's elevation is 103 metres and on average the town receives 389 mm of rainfall per annum.-History:...
, attended a cricket coaching clinic organised by her school in 1996. It was there that her talent was noticed by Australian Test player
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and development officer for the South Australian Cricket Association
South Australian Cricket Association
The South Australian Cricket Association is the peak body for the sport of cricket in South Australia. The association runs Adelaide Oval and the Southern Redbacks based in Adelaide, South Australia. SACA is the controlling body for the South Australian Grade Cricket League...
(SACA) Joanne Broadbent
Joanne Broadbent
Joanne Broadbent is a former Australian cricketer. A left-handed batsman and left-arm medium pace bowler, she played 10 Test matches for Australia between 1990 and 1998, scoring 437 runs, highlighted by a 200 against England in August 1998...
, who said that Ebsary "had a lot of potential from the start". After Ebsary made her debut for Australia, Broadbent said "I’ve always believed Lauren had the capacity to represent her country." Ebsary was initially a tall and gangly pace bowler
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
who mixed testing deliveries with erratic ones, including many wides.
During her teenage years before she acquired a driver's licence, Ebsary's mother drove her to the state capital, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
—more than 100 km away—to play for the Flinders University Cricket Club
Flinders University
Flinders University, , is a public university in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of navigator Matthew Flinders, who explored and surveyed the South Australian coastline in the early 19th century.The university has established a reputation as a leading research...
in SACA's district women's competition on weekends. Back in Snowtown, she practiced against her father and one of her brothers. In 1997–98 she attended the state under-17s trials and was successful in gaining selection at the age of 14. Due to the lack of opportunities to females to play cricket at local youth level, she played her first competitive game at the national championships in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
.
In January 2000, at the age of 16, Ebsary was chosen for the South Australian team for the Under-19 interstate championships. Playing as a specialist batsman—she bowled a solitary wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
less over
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
in six matches—she did not failed to pass five in her first five matches, before scoring an unbeaten
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
34 in the final match against Tasmania. Nevertheless, it was not a successful tournament, yielding 45 runs
Run (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
at a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 9.00.
Senior debut
Despite the lack of success at youth interstate level, Ebsary was promoted into the senior South Australian team in the 2000–01 season at the age of 17, playing in all of her state's eight matches in the Women's National Cricket LeagueWomen's National Cricket League
The Women's National Cricket League is the national competition for women's cricket in Australia.The league competition involves the six member teams playing each other in two 50-over limited-over matches, with the side finishing at the top of the table after the preliminary rounds earning the...
(WNCL). She made her debut against reigning champions New South Wales
New South Wales Breakers
The New South Wales Breakers are the women's representative cricket team for New South Wales and they compete in the Women's National Cricket League...
, and after not batting, took one wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
for the loss of six runs (1/6) from two overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
as South Australia lost by seven wickets. In the next match of the double-header the next day, she took 0/15 from two overs and was run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
for a duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
in her maiden senior innings in a 22-run loss. During the season, Ebsary often batted at the bottom of the order in a specialist bowler's position and thus rarely batted, but she hardly bowled, delivering only six overs in total in her first seven matches. In effect, she was shielded from taking on a meaningful workload and not trusted to contribute with either bat or ball. In the last match of the season, she was finally given a substantial opportunity against Queensland
Queensland Fire
The Queensland Fire are the women's representative cricket team for Queensland and they compete in the Women's National Cricket League.The Fire has played 104 matches for 36 wins, 1 tie, 4 no results and 63 losses.-External links:*The Homepage of...
, taking 3/21 from seven overs, as South Australia proceeded to a six-wicket victory. Nevertheless, in eight matches she scored only six runs at 2.00 in three innings, and took five wickets at a bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 9.40 and an economy rate of 3.61. South Australia won only three matches and did not make the finals.
During the 2001–02 WNCL, Ebsary played in all eight matches, and was given more responsibility. This season, she batted in seven innings and bowled 51 of a maximum possible 80 overs. In the first match of the season, she took 3/29 from 10 overs against the titleholders New South Wales, and she scored 51 in the fifth match against Victoria
Victorian Spirit
The Victorian Spirit are the women's representative cricket team for Victoria and they compete in the Women's National Cricket League. They are one of only two sides to win a WNCL title - 2002/3 & 2004/5....
. Ebsary did not have a significant impact in the other matches, never taking more than one wicket per match or reaching double figures with the bat. She ended the season with 67 runs at 9.57 and six wickets at 30.83 at an economy rate of 3.62. South Australia won four of their eight matches and did not make the final.
Ebsary was 18 during the season and still eligible for the Under-19s and she represented her state during the tournament, which was held in the middle of a break in the WNCL. She scored 119 runs at 19.83 and took nine wickets at 15.55 with a best of 4/27 against the Australian Capital Territory. At the end of the season, Ebsary was chosen in the Australia Youth team to play New Zealand A and New Zealand. In four matches she took two wickets at 32.00 at an economy rate of 2.66 but had no impact with the bat, scoring five runs at 1.66.
In the 2002–03 WNCL, Ebsary played in all eight matches, but was given less responsibility with the ball and had little success. She bowled only 23 overs and took two wickets at 34.00. She also had little effect with the bat, scoring 63 runs at 11.50 with a best score of 18. South Australia won five of their matches, narrowly missing the finals. Up to this point her batting average in 16 completed innings was 8.37.
At the start of the 2003–04 season, Ebsary was chosen in an Australian Under-23 team that played a two-innings match against the touring England team. Ebsary scored nine not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
and took 4/35 and 0/4 from a total of 20 overs. She was somewhat more successful in the WNCL than in previous years, bowling 28 overs and taking five wickets at 17.00 at an economy rate of 3.03 with a best of 2/19 in the last match of the season with Victoria. She scored 91 runs at 15.16, her highest season aggregate and average to date, with a best of 26. This brought Ebsary's career average above 10 for the first time. South Australia won four of their matches and another was washed out, failing to make the final. She played in three matches for Australia Youth against New Zealand A at the end of the season, scoring 29 runs at 29.00 and taking three wickets at 16.66 at an economy rate of 4.54.
In 2004–05, Ebsary scored more than 100 runs in a WNCL season for the first time. She scored 125 runs at 20.83, averaging more than 20 for the first time in a season. Her best score of 36 not out came in a ten-wicket win over Western Australia
Western Fury
The Western Fury is the representative women's cricket team of Western Australia and is based in Perth, Western Australia. Their home ground is the WACA Ground, although from 2011/2012 they will also play games at Murdoch University....
, and in the other match against the state the preceding day, she scored 28 and took 2/26 in a 29-run win. Her best bowling performance came in the first match of the season as she took 3/32 and scored 25 in a six-wicket win over Queensland. Ebsary ended the season with six wickets at 26.83. She bowled 37 overs and conceded 4.35 runs per over.
In the 2005–06 WNCL season, Ebsary struggled to make an impact with the ball, taking four wickets at 43.00 at the relatively high economy rate of 4.91. Her figures were flattered by a haul of 3/32 in the final match of the season against Western Australia, in which she also made 26 to help seal a three-wicket win. Her batting continued to progress; she scored 149 runs at 29.80, including a best of 43 against Victoria. South Australia won five of their eight matches, again missing the finals.
Ebsary had more difficult times in the 2006–07 WNCL season. She took only three wickets at 60.33 and an economy rate of 5.14, the worst average and economy rate she had recorded for a WNCL season. She never took more than one wicket in any match. Her batting also regressed, making 101 runs at 14.42, more than half coming in a 51 against New South Wales in the last match of the season. This was Ebsary's last season for her native state as she moved to Western Australia for the 2007–08 season.
Move to Western Australia
The transfer coincided with a upturn in Ebsary's career. After a slow start in the new WNCL season—Western Australia lost their first five matches—Ebsary became more productive. She scored 30 of 141 and took 1/16 in a low-scoring win over New South Wales in the sixth match. In the last double-header of the season, against Queensland, she made consecutive half-centuriesCentury (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
for the first time in her career. In the first match she made 72 before taking 4/46 to help secure a 104-run win, before scoring 62 the next day to lay the foundation for a five-wicket win. Ebsary scored 236 runs at 29.50; her previous best WNCL aggregate was 149. However, she did have trouble in running between the wickets; three of her eight dismissals
Dismissal (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . Colloquially, the fielding team is also said to have snared, bagged or captured a wicket. At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings...
were run outs. She took eight wickets at 33.87 at an economy rate of 4.43 and had a workload more than 50% heavier than in previous seasons. Ebsary was not as successful in the fledgling Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
format; in two matches for the season, her first in the most abbreviated form of cricket, she scored 33 runs at 16.50 and conceded 51 runs at an economy rate of 7.46 without taking a wicket. Ebsary later said "Looking back, the move to the West has been the best thing for my cricket...After settling our line-up, it gave me a chance to let loose at the top of the order and helped my confidence to be aggressive at the batting crease...Under the leadership of Avril Fahey, the West Aussies were very welcoming and I found my groove at the top of the order."
International debut
Ebsary was rewarded with international selection for the five-match One Day International ODI series against India at the start of the 2008–09 Australian season. Nerve damage in her toe ruled Ebsary out of contention for the first match at Hurstville OvalHurstville Oval
Hurstville Oval is a sporting ground, located in the suburb of Hurstville, in Sydney's southern suburbs.It was opened in 1911. On the official opening day, cricketer Warren Bradley brought the Australian Team to the ground to play the local St George team....
, which the hosts won by eight wickets with more than 12 overs to spare. The next day, she was given her debut in the second match of the series, at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
. Ebsary made five not out as the hosts made 6/215 batting first. Ebsary came in at 6/194 with 14 balls remaining in the Australia innings. She took a single off each of the five balls she faced, rotating the strike as her partner Lisa Sthalekar
Lisa Sthalekar
Lisa Carprini Sthalekar is a female cricketer who plays for Australia, and captains New South Wales. One of the key players in the team, she is a right-handed all rounder who bowls off spin, and was rated as the leading all rounder in the world when rankings were introduced...
completed an unbeaten century. In the seventh over of India's reply, Ebsary's throw from the boundary ran out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
Jaya Sharma
Jaya Sharma
Jaya Sharma in Ghaziabad. She is an Indian cricketer who has played one women's test match and 77 women's one-day internationals including the 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup in South Africa...
as the opener attempted to take a third run, leaving the tourists at 2/9.
Bowling in the middle of the innings, she then took 1/17 from five overs, her maiden wicket being Thirush Kamini
Thirush Kamini
Murugesan Dickeshwashankar Thirush Kamini is an Indian cricketer who has played 21 women's one-day internationals for the Indian women's cricket team.-References:...
caught behind by wicket-keeper Jodie Fields for one run, leaving India at 5/71 in the 26th over. She then claimed two catches to complete the eighth and ninth wickets—those of tail-enders Amita Sharma
Amita Sharma
Amita Sharma is an Indian cricket player. She is an all-rounder in the Indian Women Cricket team and is currently the vice-captain of the team. Amita is very accurate in her medium pace and a hard hitter batter....
and Nooshin Al Khader—as Australia won by 86 runs. Ebsary went on to play in the last four matches of the series. She was promoted to the No. 4 position in the next match, but failed to capitalise on her opportunity, making a duck. She bowled five overs without taking a wicket in a 54-run win. She then made 32 from 43 balls as an opener, hitting six boundaries in the fourth ODI at Manuka Oval
Manuka Oval
Manuka Oval is a 13,550 capacity ground located in the suburb of Griffith, adjacent to Manuka, a business district of Canberra, Australia's capital....
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, helping to set up a 118-run win. In the final match, she took 1/13 from four overs, taking the wicket of leading Indian batsman Mithali Raj
Mithali Raj
Mithali Raj is a Test and One Day International cricketer who represents India women's cricket team. She was the captain of the Indian women's cricket team. She made her One Day International debut in 1999 against Ireland at Milton Keynes and scored 114 runs without getting out in that match...
and was not required to bat in a seven-wicket win. She ended her debut series with 37 runs at 18.50 and two wickets at 34.50 at an economy rate of 3.83. Australia took the series 5–0 in a dominant display; all their wins were by at least seven wickets or 54 runs.
In the WNCL, Ebsary went wicketless for the entire season for the first time, conceding 127 runs at an economy rate of 4.70. She remained productive with the bat, scoring 207 runs at 25.87, making 43 and 57, her two highest scores of the season, in the double-header against Victoria. Western Australia won three of eight matches and did not make the final. Ebsary made 34 and 25 in her two T20 matches for the season, but had no success with the ball, conceding a total of 36 runs from three overs without taking a wicket.
ODI and T20 World Cups in 2009
Despite her inability to take a wicket in the WNCL, Ebsary was retained in the national team and in the next five months of international cricket, she did not bowl a ball. Ahead of the 2009 World Cup, the Australians headed to New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
for a Rose Bowl series
Rose Bowl series
The Rose Bowl series is a series of Women's One-day International cricket matches between Australia and New Zealand that has been running since February 1985. It was originally known as the Shell Rose Bowl and the name was changed to the Rose Bowl Series as recently as 2001.Until 2000, the...
, Ebsary was left out of the first two ODIs against New Zealand, but was recalled for the next two matches at Seddon Park
Seddon Park
Seddon Park is a cricket ground in Hamilton, 4th largest city in New Zealand and is renowned for its "village green" setting, affording a picnic atmosphere for spectators. It is the 4th largest proper Cricket Ground in New Zealand. The Stadium was named after the former New Zealand Prime Minister...
in Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
. She scored 30 from 47 balls in the first match before making her ODI top-score of 86 the next day. Batting at No. 3, she struck nine boundaries and faced only 76 balls, scoring at faster than a run-a-ball. This helped set up Australia's 4/307 and they went on to win by 44 runs, their second consecutive victory. The teams returned to Australia where Ebsary made her T20 international debut at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
. She did not bat or bowl in a rain-affected Australian win.
In two warm-up matches ahead of the World Cup in Australia, Ebsary made 18 and 8 against England and Sri Lanka respectively. Nevertheless, Ebsary was retained for the match against New Zealand, scoring one at No. 7 as Australia failed in their run-chase. It was the start of a tournament in which Ebsary was moved around in the Australian team structure. Ebsary was dropped for the second match against South Africa, which Australia won, and recalled for the last group match against the West Indies. She made 15 from 28 balls at No. 5, in a 47-run win to reach the next round. In the first Super Six match, Ebsary made 39 not out from 36 balls at No. 7 in the closing stages of the game, attempting to hold together the Australian lower-order as they fell 16 runs short of India's 5/234. She was then promoted to No. 3 in the following match, making 51 from 71 balls against Pakistan after Leah Poulton
Leah Poulton
Leah Joy Poulton is a female Australian cricketer who plays for New South Wales and Australia. She is a specialist batsman who usually opens the batting....
and Shelley Nitschke
Shelley Nitschke
Shelley Nitschke is a female cricketer who plays for South Australia and Australia. A left-handed batsman and left arm orthodox spinner, she is one of the leading all-rounders in the world....
had put on a century opening stand, as the Australians completed a 107-run win. Ebsary was left out of the final Super Six match against England, which Australia won, which was not enough for them to reach the final. She missed the third-place playoff against India, which was lost. She ended with 106 runs at 35.33 from her four matches.
Ebsary was selected for Australia's team for the inaugural Women's World Twenty20 held in England in 2009. The Australians hosted New Zealand for a three-match series in tropical Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
at the beginning of June before the World Cup, and Ebsary made 17.00 at 8.50 in her three innings. She then made 13 in the team's warm-up match on English soil, against the hosts, but was nevertheless retained for all the matches. She made a duck as Australia lost their opening match against New Zealand, and was not required to bat in the win over the West Indies. Ebsary made 23 run out in the final group match as Australia defeated South Africa to reach the semi-finals. There she scored eight not out before England overhauled Australia's score to reach the final, which they won. She ended the tournament with 44 runs at 22.00.
Test debut
Ebsary stayed in England for a bilateral series against the hosts, who were the reigning world champions in both ODIs and T20s, after the end of the World Twenty20. She scored 24 not out as Australia upset England in the only T20 by 34 runs. She played in all of the five ODIs, and after making 23, 38 and 40, her form tapered away in the last two matches, making single-figure scores to end with 112 runs at 22.40. Batting in a variety of positions from No. 5 to 8, she scored quickly at a strike rate of 88.18. In the fourth match, she took 1/16, the first time she had bowled in 19 international matches, removing Claire TaylorClaire Taylor
Samantha Claire Taylor MBE is a former English cricketer and retired member of the England women's team. A determined batsman, with almost 3,500 runs in over a hundred One Day International appearances, she was the top ranked female ODI batsman in the world going into the 2009 Women's World Cup...
. England won all the matches except the last, which was washed out.
Ebsary made her Test debut against England in a one-off match at County Road in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
. Australia batted first and Ebsary came to the crease at No. 9 with the total on 7/271. She scored 3 from 15 balls before being trapped leg before wicket
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
by Katherine Brunt
Katherine Brunt
Katherine Helen Brunt is an English cricketer and member of the current England women's team. In 2006, she was named England women's Cricketer of the Year and again in 2010 ....
, as Australia were dismissed for 309. She then took 2/35. She claimed her maiden Test wicket by having Taylor caught by Poulton for 10 and then had Jenny Gunn
Jenny Gunn
Jennifer Louise Gunn is an English cricketer and a member of the current England women's team. A medium pace bowler and lower middle order batsman, she is the daughter of former Nottingham Forest player Bryn Gunn. She plays for Nottinghamshire and Western Australia and made her Test debut at 17...
caught behind by Jodie Fields for 41. This ended a 77-run partnership with Beth Morgan and left the hosts at 6/136 but they recovered to reach 268, still enough for Australia to take a 41-run lead. Ebsary was then promoted to No. 4 and made 21 as Australia set the hosts a target of 273 before the match was drawn.
The WNCL was expanded in 2009–10 with the addition of the Australian Capital Territory
ACT Meteors
The ACT Meteors are the women's representative cricket team for the Australian Capital Territory and they compete in the Women's National Cricket League. The Meteors were granted entry to the Women's National Cricket League for the 2009-10 season, they previously competed in the Cricket Australia Cup...
, so ten round-robin matches were scheduled, and Ebsary played in all, scoring 211 runs at 21.10. After being wicketless the previous season, she took seven wickets at 31.28, although opposition batsmen did attack her bowling, scoring 5.17 runs per over. Her best batting and bowling performances came in the same match against her native state, taking 3/37 from nine overs to help dismiss them for 191 before scoring 48 to help secure a two-wicket win. In the last two matches of the season, she scored 43 and 42 in consecutive wins over Queensland.
Ebsary had a successful time in the domestic T20s, now part of a full interstate tournament instead of a series of one-off matches, scoring 137 runs at 22.83 and taking four wickets at 26.25 at an economy rate of 7.50. Her best score of 41 came in a win over Tasmania
Tasmanian Roar
The Tasmanian Roar are the women's representative cricket team for the Australian state of Tasmania and they compete in the Women's National Cricket League Twenty20 tournament. For the 2009-10 season, the Tasmanian Roar have a naming rights sponsorship deal with local Tasmanian bakery chain Cripps...
and she also scored 29 and took 2/14 in a win over the Australian Capital Territory.
Ebsary was retained for the Rose Bowl series against New Zealand and played in the first four ODIs in Australia. She made 31 runs at 15.50 and after Poulton had made a century in the fourth match, was dropped for the fifth and final match as the hosts took a clean sweep. The ODIs were followed by three T20 matches at Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval, also known as its sponsored name Blundstone Arena, is primarily a cricket and Australian Rules Football ground located in Bellerive, City of Clarence, on the eastern shore of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia...
in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
and two more in New Zealand. Ebsary played in the first four T20 games, scoring 39 runs at 9.75 before being left out of the final match as New Zealand took a clean sweep. She was overlooked for the three ODIs in New Zealand, which the tourists swept.