The Melbourne Stars, led by skipper Meg Lanning, were up against the Perth Scorchers, led by skipper Beth Mooney, in the 2nd game of the double-header on Sunday (8th November 2026) at North Sydney Oval, Sydney, in the 16th match of the ongoing edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).
The Meg Lanning-led Melbourne Stars came into the clash on the back of three consecutive defeats. The Perth Scorchers, led by skipper Beth Mooney, came into this clash as one of the unbeaten sides in the ongoing 12th edition of the tournament. The Ashleigh Gardner-led Sydney Sixers extended their unbeaten streak by winning the rain-curtailed clash against Sydney Thunder in the first game of the Sunday double-header.
The Melbourne Stars skipper Meg Lanning won the toss and opted to bat first. Openers Rhys McKenna and skipper Meg Lanning got their side off to a steady start with a 38-run opening stand. Fatima Sana broke the stand by sending Rhys McKenna (12 off 18 balls) back to the pavilion in the 7th over of the innings to provide the much-needed 1st breakthrough for the Perth Scorchers.
The Scorchers pounced on the opening and ensured the Stars struggled for momentum through regular strikes. The Melbourne Stars found themselves in trouble, posting a below-par score of 105/6 in the 18th over of the innings. Georgia Prestwidge (23* off 11 balls) joined Charlie Dean (10* off 14 balls) at the crease, and the duo provided a power-packed finish with a 31-run unbeaten 7th-wicket stand.
The Melbourne Stars posted a competitive total of 136/6 in their quota of 20 overs. Skipper Meg Lanning (56 off 46 balls) top-scored with the bat for the Melbourne Stars. Sophie Devine (3-0-18-2), Amy Edgar (3-0-33-2), Fatima Sana (4-0-33-1), Chloe Ainsworth (3-0-13-0) and Alana King (4-0-12-0) were the top performers with the ball for the Perth Scorchers.
Chasing a tricky total of 137, the Scorchers lost the wicket of their opening batter Katie Mack in the 3rd over of the innings. Sophie Day provided the first breakthrough for the Melbourne Stars. Sophie Devine joined skipper Beth Mooney at the crease, and the duo settled the nerves with a much-needed 72-run partnership for the 2nd wicket, which took them closer to the 100-run mark. Sophie Day returned and got the crucial scalp of Sophie Devine (55 off 24 balls) in the 8th over of the run chase.
The Melbourne Stars bowlers fought back and picked up the next couple of wickets for 23 runs, including the wicket of skipper Beth Mooney (28 off 24 balls) in the 11th over of the chase. Chloe Piparo (14* off 16 balls) joined Mikayla Hinkley (24* off 19 balls), and the duo took them over the line with an unbeaten 28-run partnership for the 5th wicket. The Perth Scorchers extended their winning streak by winning the game by 6 wickets and five overs to spare.
Sophie Day (4-0-34-2), Kim Garth (4-0-32-1), Annabel Sutherland (3-0-24-1), Charlie Dean (3-0-26-0) were the top performers with the ball for Melbourne Stars. Former Scorchers skipper Sophie Devine was awarded the Player of the Match for her all-round impact, accounting for the big scalps of Meg Lanning (56 off 46 balls) and Annabel Sutherland (14 off 9 balls) in her spell with the ball.
She also scored an impactful 23rd WBBL half-century (55 off 24 balls) in the run chase, including 8 boundaries and three maximums, scoring at a strike rate of 229.17, ensuring the Perth Scorchers not only extend their unbeaten streak but also claim the top spot in the points table with 8 points from 4 games so far.
I am Yash Tailor, and I believe work should be driven by passion. Therefore, after completing my Engineering, I chose to work in the Cricket industry, my passion. My goal is to reach a stage where I truly enjoy what I do and give my best to every task with energy and purpose.