What’s Behind Annabel Sutherland’s Improved Hitting?
By Virendra
Annabel Sutherland had already established herself as one of the top all-rounders in the women’s game even before this season’s Hundred came around. However, if there was a bit of a question mark in her game, it was her batting which had so far failed to deliver consistently across tournaments - both international and at franchise level.
At the 2026 Hundred though, the Australian all-rounder has taken her batting up a notch. It’s also no surprise that it has come at the Hundred, a tournament where her batting has historically been the best.
Including this year’s edition of the Hundred, there have been only 11 competitions in her T20 career where she has scored in excess of 100 runs.
Annabel Sutherland in T20s - Competitions with 100+ Runs
| Competition | Inns | Runs | Avg | SR | 30s | BPB | BPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hundred (W) 2026* | 7 | 273 | 91.0 | 160 | 5 | 5.2 | 17.1 |
| The Hundred (W) 2024 | 7 | 212 | 35.3 | 138 | 3 | 5.5 | 22 |
| The Hundred (W) 2025 | 10 | 206 | 51.5 | 129 | 1 | 6.7 | 40 |
| WBBL 2025/26 | 11 | 174 | 17.4 | 123 | 1 | 6.5 | 47.3 |
| WBBL 2023/24 | 14 | 288 | 22.2 | 118 | 5 | 7.2 | 48.8 |
| WBBL 2022 | 11 | 304 | 33.8 | 114 | 5 | 8.3 | 29.7 |
| WBBL 2020 | 11 | 190 | 23.8 | 114 | 3 | 8.8 | 23.9 |
| WBBL 2024 | 9 | 145 | 18.1 | 105 | 1 | 8.1 | 27.6 |
| WBBL 2018 | 11 | 123 | 12.3 | 94 | 0 | 18.7 | - |
| WBBL 2019 | 10 | 104 | 11.6 | 93 | 1 | 11.2 | - |
| WBBL 2021/22 | 12 | 143 | 13.0 | 83 | 1 | 9.6 | 86.5 |
*End of the league phase
Her top 3 among these in terms of strike rate are at the Hundred, led by the 2026 edition (until the league phase). It’s not just the boundaries but also sixes that have come more frequently off her bat in England this summer playing for Sunrisers Leeds.
To go with the improved hitting, she has a spectacular average of 91.0 to go with her SR of almost 160, with five 30+ scores, showing her ability to take her team home all the way to the end of their batting innings.
This improved boundary striking has come about mainly thanks to two things - accessing slightly different areas and a small change in her hitting stance.
Even just comparing it with last year’s Hundred, there has been a clear change; accessing more of the square boundary on the leg side and less of it on the off side.
In the past, Sutherland has looked to charge a lot in order to access boundaries. Charging would give her the option to access the drive through covers or the straight boundary or long on.
But as can be seen from her interception points in this edition of the Hundred, she has cut down on it this season and been happier to stay camped and hit from the crease on the front foot or while camped deeper, taking advantage of bowlers pulling the length back anticipating her charge down the wicket.
Annabel Sutherland’s Interception Points for 4s & 6s at The Hundred 2026 vs 2025
Looking at the interception points from the last Hundred to the current one, you can see the reduced grouping of boundaries from charging and more on the front foot, step hit and back foot.
Besides the approach, there’s been a slight change in the technique where she’s putting less bottom hand into it and letting more of both the arms come through from higher up, putting more power through the shot.
Sutherland’s technical and tactical changes have certainly helped the Sunrisers Leeds to a strong finish which took them into the Eliminator. She couldn’t quite continue her scoring run in the two knockout games though as Sunrisers eventually finished runners-up.
Whether this improved hitting success continues into other competitions, notably the upcoming edition of the WBBL and the Women’s Premier League (WPL) will be worth watching.