'Sky's the limit': Full preseason sets Ainsworth up for WBBL|12 -

Chloe Ainsworth has been the most effective opening-over bowler since her debut, and she’s only getting started

The Breakdown: Chloe Ainsworth vs the big guns

With an injury-free preseason under her belt, Chloe Ainsworth is back terrorising the Big Bash’s best top-order batters in Weber WBBL|12.

The 21-year-old Perth Scorchers quick, who was handed a Cricket Australia contract earlier this year, did what she does best at Drummoyne Oval on Thursday night, knocking over Georgia Voll with the first ball of the innings.

Three nights earlier at Melbourne’s Junction Oval, Ainsworth had Rhys McKenna caught behind with her first ball.

Since her debut in the WBBL in 2023, Ainsworth – dubbed the ‘Dozer, short for Bulldozer, by former captain Sophie Devine – has made removing the world’s best batters a habit, with Meg Lanning, Annabel Sutherland, Lizelle Lee, Grace Harris and Danni Wyatt-Hodge among her victims.

Ainsworth removes Lee, Graham in dream debut over

In fact, no other bowler has taken more first-over wickets than Ainsworth since her arrival in WBBL|09.

Across that period, Ainsworth has struck in the first over of the innings on nine occasions, from 24 matches where she has opened the bowling.

It puts her marginally ahead of Molly Strano (8 from 20 matches) and Lauren Cheatle (8 from 28), followed by Marizanne Kapp (7 from 28) and Megan Schutt (4 from 16).

Ainsworth, who has battled off-season injuries leading into previous summers, said she was reaping the benefits of a clean run into 2026-27.

“I think this is the first time my career that I’ve been able to have a solid block of work, and I’m so grateful for everything that’s happened,” Ainsworth said. “I’m so grateful for my coaches and all the opportunities.

Ainsworth makes her mark with big scalps in WBBL|11

“I’m trying to control the new ball up front and be as dangerous as I can.”

Ainsworth’s potential has been clear since she burst into the scene in 2023, and 39 matches into her Big Bash career she’s taken 45 wickets at an average of 21 with an economy rate of 6.85.

She was named in the WBBL team of the tournament twice in her first three seasons, and Cricket Australia made the unusual move of handing Ainsworth a national contract for 2026-27 despite the quick having never been part of an Australian squad.

Her contact time with the national side has been somewhat limited however, with Australia spending much of this year on the road. But in a few squad-wide camps at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane, Ainsworth said it had been a “ridiculous” experience so far.

“I’ve been able to learn so much, they’re just the best players in the world, and it’s so obvious why,” she said. “Seeing how they train, I’m just so grateful.”

An injury-free run would go a long way towards the right-armer being able to force her way into the national side, with Scorchers and Western Australia coach Becky Grundy adamant the “sky is the limit” for Ainsworth – with bat as well as ball.

“She did a mountain of work last season … (then) she got a little bit of an injury towards the back end of last season that impacted her player leave period,” Grundy said ahead of WBBL|12. “But she’s had a really clean run at the preseason.

“I think it hasn’t quite sunk in for her yet around the CA contract, but she was able to get among the girls when they had their content capture and their camp at the start of the preseason, and she’s just so competitive.

“She’s just hungry to take wickets and score runs. The sky is absolutely the limit.

“The word that I would sum her up with is – there’s a couple – but resilience stands out.

Two in two! Ainsworth gets Redmayne and Voll

“She’s had a bumpy road with injuries and being able to stay on the park, so the fact that her skill level is so high, with probably limited training over the last two years or so, is incredible.

“She’s an absolute heartbeat out on the field in terms of how you want to play, she runs in heart on her sleeve, would do absolutely anything for the group … she just goes from strength to strength.”

Weber WBBL|12 Standings

Round 1

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Net Run Rate NRR	Total points PTS
1 Sydney Sixers Women SIX	3	3	0	1.517	6
2 Perth Scorchers Women SCO	3	3	0	1.468	6
3 Sydney Thunder Women THU	3	2	1	0.739	4
4 Adelaide Strikers Women STR	2	1	1	0.175	2
5 Melbourne Stars Women STA	4	1	3	-0.237	2
6 Brisbane Heat Women HEA	3	1	2	-0.347	2
7 Melbourne Renegades Women REN	3	1	2	-1.385	2
8 Hobart Hurricanes Women HUR	3	0	3	-1.792	0