Melbourne Stars, Brisbane Heat, Sydney Thunder, Perth Scorchers make it to the WBBL semi-finals
Sydney Thunder pipped Hobart Hurricanes by six wickets, courtesy of Shabnim Ismail’s devastating spell, which helped Thunder to enter the semi-finals.
The South African pace spearhead got rid of the top order in no time as she dismissed opening bat Nicola Carey and Hayley Matthews for a duck. Hurricanes were reduced to 3 for 4 in the third over, as they were put in to bat first by Rachael Haynes, who won the toss. Ismail finished with 3 for 10 from four overs and the Hurricanes could just manage 115-9 in 20 overs. Hannah Darlington also scalped three wickets for the Thunder. Rachel Priest and Sasha Moloney shared a 57-run stand but failed to find able allies.
What could otherwise have been a smooth sail wasn’t actually one. Thunder kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Thanks to contributions from Heather Knight (25), Tammy Beaumont (22). Phoebe Litchfield (24 not out) and Sammy-Jo Johnson (16 not out), who guided the side home comfortably to ensure the Thunder qualified for the finals while the Hurricanes finished last with just three wins.
Brief Scores: Sydney Thunder 116-4 (Knight 25, Carey 2-23) beat Hobart Hurricanes 115-9 (Moloney 39, Ismail 3-10) by six wickets
Alyssa Healy smashed a stellar 48-ball century, the fourth-fastest in WBBL history, but it went in vain, as the Sydney Sixers, though won the match against Melbourne Stars, they could not make it to the knockouts, courtesy a lower net run rate. Batting first, the Stars posted a mammoth 174-5 in 20 overs, riding on a powerful partnership of 79 in 10.1 overs, put up by Elyse Villani (45) and skipper Meg Lanning (77). Natalie Sciver played a cameo towards the end of the innings as she muscled 13 ball 32 to give a perfect end to the innings. Marizanne Kapp was the pick of the bowlers for Sixers as she picked up 3-34 in her four overs.
96 out of 111 Runs Scored only in Boundaries ❤️
That’s Alyssa Healy for you 🙌🙌 #WBBL2020 | #WBBL06 | #SydneySixers pic.twitter.com/qMCN3BjLqp
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) November 22, 2020
Chasing a daunting 179, the opening pair of skipper Ellyse Perry (31) and stumper Alyssa Healy stitched a 150-run partnership in 14.1 overs. Healy, who was the aggressor between the two was firing on all cylinders as she desperately wanted to get side into the semi-finals. Sixers chased down the target in 18.4 overs with five wickets in hand. Tess Flintoff picked up 3-32 in her three overs for the Stars.
Innings to complete 3000 Runs Milestone in WBBL 👇
Beth Mooney: 88
Ellyse Perry: 82 #WBBL | #WBBL2020 | @SixersWBBL | @ScorchersBBL pic.twitter.com/TLdY1NfAev— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) November 22, 2020
Brief Scores: Sydney Sixers 184-5 (Healy 111) beat Melbourne Stars 178-4 (Lanning 77) by five wickets (DLS method)
Adelaide Strikers and Perth Scorchers fought tooth and nail in the last match of the league. A win for Scorchers meant that they were through to the semi-finals, however, Strikers made sure that they were party spoilers at least for some time. Despite a century opening stand between Sophie Devine (57) and Beth Mooney (60), the Scorchers failed to chase down 160 as they fell short of just three runs. Not able to close in games from a winning position has raised questions about the middle order. The defeat meant that they had to wait for the outcome of Stars versus Sixers to see if they secured a semi-final spot.
Devine and Mooney picked up from where they had left in their unbroken 140-run stand the previous day. Though the stage was set, the Scorchers’ middle order made a mess of the chase. Strikers held their nerves despite the blitzkrieg from the opening pair. They picked up wickets just at the right times and managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Early in the match, it had been a fine inning from Amanda-Jade Wellington which helped the stuttering Strikers innings to recover. She struck 48 off 25 balls after the top order had played solidly but without taking the game away from the Scorchers. Sarah Glenn wreaked havoc as she accounted for 4-18 in her four overs.
Brief Scores: Adelaide Strikers 159-6 (Wellington 48, Glenn 4-18) beat Perth Scorchers 156-7 (Mooney 60, Devine 57) by three runs
Defending a DLS-adjusted target of 120 in 17 overs, Brisbane Heat’s Georgia Prestwidge and Delissa Kimmince ran through the Melbourne Renegades’ top order as they were bundled out for just 76. Prestwidge’s career-best haul of 4-12 in four overs helped the defending champions beat Renegades to secure the second spot on the WBBL table ahead of the finals.
Early in the match, Heat put up 114-6 in 17 overs before it started pouring at the Drummoyne Oval in Sydney. The revised DLS target was 120 in 20 overs. Though the target was gettable, Renegades let the game slip off their hands. They were reduced to 3-7 in inside three overs, thanks to Kimmince and Prestwidge. The middle-order comprising of Satterthwaite (14), Webb (14) and Leeson (12) got off to starts but failed to capitalize. In the end, Renegades were done and dusted in 16.2 overs, losing the match by 43 runs.
Brief Scores: Brisbane Heat 114-6 (Kerr 35*, Tahuhu 2-16) beat Melbourne Renegades 76 (Prestwidge 4-12) by 43 runs (DLS method)
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.