Beth Mooney becomes first player to complete 5,000 WBBL runs
Australian wicket-keeper batter Beth Mooney has become the first-ever player to score 5,000 runs in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL). She achieved the milestone during match 34 of the ongoing 2024 edition between Perth Scorchers Women and Sydney Sixers Women at Bellerive Oval Hobart. Mooney's record-breaking feat is better than any player in the WBBL and BBL. Here are her stats.
Mooney's journey to the record
Mooney accomplished this incredible milestone in her 141st WBBL match. Ellyse Perry (4,611) is the only other batter with 4,000-plus WBBL runs. Notably, Chris Lynn is the leading run-scorer in the men's tournament, having amassed a total of 3,725 runs from 120 BBL games. Meanwhile, the match that saw Mooney enter the record books witnessed Perth Scorchers get off to a rocky start with Maddy Darke getting out for five in the second over.
Mooney's performance in the record-breaking match
Despite the early setback, Mooney and Brooke Halliday (41) ensured their team's innings was stable. The duo batted cautiously through the first few overs, with the scoreboard reading 29/1 at the end of the power play. Mooney then shifted gears and started hitting boundaries with ease, displaying her class at the crease. She was dismissed for 44 runs off 37 balls as the Scorchers were bundled out for 126.
Here are her numbers
Mooney has now raced to 5,001 WBBL runs as her average of 46.30 is only second to that to Perry (49.24) among players with at least 100 runs. The former's tally of 46 50-plus WBBL scores is the most for any batter (50s: 43, 100s: 3). Her strike rate is a decent 125.24. Notably, Mooney finished the 2022-23 competition as the highest run-getter. She scored 434 runs in just 13 games at 43.3 (SR: 120.56).
