Melbourne Stars led by skipper Annabel Sutherland were up against Sydney Sixers led by skipper Ellyse Perry in the 9th match of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) 10 at the North Sydney Oval, Sydney.
Melbourne Stars skipper Annabel Sutherland won the toss and opted to bat first. The Melbourne Stars openers Ines Mckeon and wicket-keeper batter Yastika Bhatia got their side off to a steady start with a 39-run opening partnership. Ashleigh Gardner picked up the wicket of Ines Mckeon to provide the first breakthrough for Sydney Sixers.
Meg Lanning joined wicket-keeper batter Yastika Bhatia at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 29-run partnership for the 2nd wicket to take their side past the 50-run mark. Caoimhe Bray picked up the wicket of the wicket-keeper batter Yastika Bhatia to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side. Melbourne Stars eventually ended up with a total of 195/4 in their quota of 20 overs. The massive 104-run 4th wicket partnership between Rhys McKenna and Meg Lanning played a pivotal role in helping their side get closer to the 200-run mark.
Meg Lanning (58* off 36 balls), Rhys McKenna (52 off 22 balls), wicket-keeper batter Yastika Bhatia (36 off 28 balls), and Ines Mckeon (24 off 24 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Melbourne Stars. Caoimhe Bray (4-0-33-1), Ashleigh Gardner (4-0-34-1), Sophie Ecclestone (4-0-41-1), and Ellyse Perry (4-0-42-1) were the top performers with the ball for Sydney Sixers.
Chasing a target of 196, the Sydney Sixers got off to a poor start losing their top three inside the powerplay. Hollie Armitage joined skipper Ellyse Perry at the crease and the duo stitched a much-needed 25-run partnership for the 4th wicket to take their side past the 50-run mark. Sophie Day picked up the wicket of Hollie Armitage to provide the 4th breakthrough for Melbourne Stars. The rains arrived and the Sixers were 32 runs behind the DLS par score. The play was suspended courtesy of persistent rains.
The Stars sealed the game by 32 runs and Rhys McKenna was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant innings (52 off 22 balls) with the bat for her side.
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