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Thursday March 28, 2024

WBBL: Strikers tie with Thunder in low-scoring thriller

By Agencies
January 22, 2018

SYDNEY: Sydney Sixers made it two in two against Melbourne Stars and returned to the top of the Women’s Big Bash League points table with a comfortable six-wicket win on Sunday (January 21). Skipper Ellyse Perry led the low-scoring chase with an unbeaten 39, after their bowlers, Marizanne Kapp and Kim Garth had restricted the hosts to a lowly 106 for 7 off their allotted overs.

Opting to bat first at home, the Stars suffered a top order collapse with Garth striking twice in her opening spell. Kapp took out country-mate Lizelle Lee cheaply to leave Stars reeling at 15 for 3, which soon became 22 for 4 as Sarah Alley too joined the wicket-takers’ gang. Erin Osborne and Anna Lanning made amends with a steady 41-run partnership for the fifth wicket but it was too late in the day. Osborne, who top-scored with 39, was dismissed off the final ball of their innings, though after she’d taken the team to a respectable triple-figure score.

Thunder, too, were down to 34 for 3 inside the powerplay overs, in reply. However, Alyssa Healy, in her typical style, had made 21 of those runs. Perry then assumed responsibility and took her side over the line with two overs to spare. She hit a six and four boundaries in her 45-ball knock, and had company from Erin Burns (14) and Sara McGlashan (9) and Dane van Niekerk (9 not out).

Brief scores: Melbourne Stars Women 106/7 in 20 overs (Erin Osborne 39; Marizanne Kapp 2-13, Kim Garth 2-15) lost to Sydney Sixers Women 107/5 in 18 overs (Ellyse Perry 39*, Alyssa Healy 21; Annabel Sutherland 1-13) by 5 wickets.

Adelaide Strikers avenged their 37-run defeat at the hands of Sydney Thunder by winning the one-over eliminator in a low-scoring reverse fixture at the Roberston Oval. After Thunder levelled the scores off the final ball of the game, they could post only six in the Super Over, for the loss of one wicket. Sophie Devine, who bowled the measly over, then picked up the bat and polished off the target with two balls to spare to help the Strikers consolidate the third spot.

Strikers didn’t have an ideal start with the bat earlier. Opting to bat at home, they lost Devine in just the second over, and for a nought. Tahlia McGrath then blasted 22 off 18 balls, in the company of in-form captain Suzie Bates. Bates dropped anchor, top-scoring yet again with a 43-ball 40, but fell in the 15th over when the scoreboard read only 81. Bridget Patterson provided the late flourish with an unbeaten 21 to propel Strikers into triple figures - a sub-par 114. Rachel Priest led Thunder’s chase at the start of the innings, hitting a brisk 22 in the 46-run opening partnership with Rachael Haynes. After the pair fell in successive overs, skipper Alex Blackwell combined with Naomi Stalenberg stitched the innings back together with a 46-run partnership where the latter played the aggressor. Amanda-Jade Wellington’s late strikes revived Strikers hopes of come-from-behind win as she took out Stalenberg (29) and then Blackwell (21) by the penultimate over.