Lanning and du Preez make fifties, Sixers’ slide continues, and Penna’s late hitting stuns the Hurricanes
ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2020Half-centuries from Meg Lanning and Mignon du Preez and a nerveless bowling display from Sophie Day, Alana King, and Rosemary Mair helped the Melbourne Stars win a nailbiter over the Perth Scorchers at Hurstville Oval.The Stars were in control halfway through their first innings with Lanning and du Preez having added 99 for the second wicket in just 66 balls. But the game changed when Lanning holed out to mid-off for 57 from Nicole Bolton’s offspin. It triggered a collapse with the Stars losing 7 for 48 in 8.1 overs. Bolton snared 3 for 25 while Sarah Glenn and Heather Graham picked up two wickets each to ensure the Scorchers were chasing just 150 to win.But in the absence of injured captain Sophie Devine, who was missing due to a back issue, the Scorchers fell agonisingly short. Beth Mooney took control of the chase early, racing to 45 from 29 balls with six fours and a six to have the Scorchers well ahead of the required rate at halfway. But like Lanning, she holed out to mid-off at a key moment, off King, and the chase fell apart. King, Day and Mair squeezed the Scorchers middle order, taking eight wickets between them. Mair was entrusted with the 20th over, with the Scorchers needing 17. Mathilda Carmichael struck two fours in the first three balls to test the New Zealander’s nerves but she closed the game out, removing Carmichael and Glenn to give the Stars their seventh win of the season.Grace Harris and Jess Jonassen celebrate a wicket•Getty Images
The cool heads of Grace Harris and Jess Jonassen and a brilliant cameo from Laura Kimmince combined as the Brisbane Heat went to second on the WBBL table with a three-wicket win that extended the Sydney Sixers’ disastrous form slump.Harris took 2 for 13 and produced a direct hit to restrict the Sixers to just 7 for 122 before Jonassen provided a vital 34 at the top of the order to help the Heat chase down the target with 13 balls to spare.Alyssa Healy got the Sixers off to a brisk start scoring 29 off 20 but couldn’t go on with it and again the Sixers batting stalled with Ellyse Perry and Dane Van Niekerk both failing to score at better than a run a ball. Harris and Amelia Kerr tied the pair up and eventually forced mistakes. Perry was trapped plumb by Kerr before Harris dismissed Erin Burns with a fabulous direct hit.Van Niekerk and Angela Reakes (24 not out) ensured the Sixers put up a total they could defend. But Jodie Hicks’ bizarre season continued as she was run out for a diamond duck. She has played 10 of the 11 matches as a specialist batter, faced just one ball, and has not scored a run.The Heat’s chase began in equally bizarre fashion, with Harris stumped by Healy off Marizanne Kapp. She got an inside edge trying to drive one that bounced over the stumps, and then rehearsed her stroke while remaining out of her crease. Healy gathered and under-armed onto the stumps before Harris realised she needed to get back. Jonassen played a captain’s knock, controlling the chase with the help of Georgia Voll and Maddy Green but it was Kimmince who sealed the game with an outstanding hitting display. She clubbed three fours and a six to score 23 off 10 balls and ensured the chase never reached the last two overs.The Sixers have now lost five in a row and have slid all the way to sixth on the table. They will also be without Ashleigh Gardner until the weekend as she did not pass her concussion test to play against the Heat. She was also ruled out of Wednesday’s clash with the Sydney Thunder.Madeline Penna made an outstanding half-century•Getty Images
A devastating unbeaten half-century from Madeline Penna helped the Adelaide Strikers thump the Hobart Hurricanes at Hurstville Oval.Penna made the highest score by a No. 7 in WBBL history, smashing 56 not out off 33 balls to help the Strikers post an excellent total of 6 for 141, having recovered from 6 for 72 in the 14th over. Penna and Tegan McPharlin, who made 18 not out, combined to dig the Strikers out of a hole with Penna producing some outstanding hitting in the final over off Nicola Carey. She smashed 24 from the 20th over, including a towering six over square leg to bring up her maiden WBBL half-century. Carey finished with figures of 2 for 44 having taken 2 for 20 from her first three overs. Brooke Hepburn took 2 for 23, claiming the scalps of Katie Mack and Laura Wolvaardt.The Hurricanes never got close in the chase, collapsing to 77 all out, just days after being bowled out for 82 against Brisbane Heat.Teen sensation Darcie Brown continued her outstanding form with the ball, claiming 2 for 19. She clean bowled Rachel Priest for 4 to start the rot in the fourth over. Sarah Coyte took 3 for 10 and produced a run-out to remove Chloe Tryon who was the only Hurricane to reach double figures.Sydney Thunder 2 for 132 (Knight 58*, Haynes 33*, Leeson 1-20) beat Melbourne Renegades 126 for 7 (Dooley 46, Satterthwaite 39, Darlington 3-22) by eight wickets
Heather Knight’s unbeaten 58 off 32 balls helped Sydney Thunder comfortably chase down 127 and kept Melbourne Renegades rooted to the bottom of the points table. The Thunder captain Rachael Haynes backed up Knight, adding 33 to an unbroken 73-run partnership that came in a mere 7.3 overs.After being sent in, the Renegades lost both their openers Lizelle Lee and Sophie Molineux inside the powerplay. Their captain Amy Satterthwaite and wicketkeeper-batter Josephine Dooley counterattacked with a 76-run stand – the highest of the match. However, Satterthwaite’s wicket triggered a collapse as the Renegades lost 5 for 23 to be restricted to 126 for 7. Nineteen-year-old allrounder Hannah Darlington was the pick of the bowlers for the Thunder, taking 3 for 22 in her four overs.The Thunder then rattled off 48 runs in the powerplay, with Knight and Haynes launching from there to consolidate their position at the top half of the table.