Nicole Faltum’s maiden WBBL fifty and Sarah Coyte’s 2/13 help Renegades seal a narrow win over Stars

Georgia Voll’s unbeaten 97* (56 balls) overpowered wicket-keeper batter Beth Mooney’s effort (97 off 64 balls) to guide the Sydney Thunder over the line with seven wickets against the Peeth Scorchers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the 27th match of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).

Melbourne Renegades led by skipper Hayley Matthews were up against the Melbourne Stars led by skipper Annabel Sutherland in a potentially high-octane clash at the MCG in the 28th match of the tournament.

Nicole Faltum’s maiden WBBL fifty and Sarah Coyte's 2/13 help Renegades seal a narrow win over Stars
Nicole Faltum’s maiden WBBL fifty and Sarah Coyte’s 2/13 help Renegades seal a narrow win over Stars

Wicket-keeper batter Nicole Faltum’s 66* and Georgia Prestwidge’s fireworks take the Renegades to 170/6

The Renegades got off to a horrible start, losing half of their side inside the first 8 overs of the innings with only 48 on the board, after skipper Hayley Matthews won the toss and opted to bat first. Wicket-keeper batter Nicole Faltum joined Georgia Wareham at the crease and the duo took their side past the 100-run mark courtesy of a 67-run partnership for the 6th wicket.

Skipper Annabel Sutherland took the matter into her hands to send Georgia Wareham back to the pavilion providing the 6th breakthrough for the Melbourne Stars. A late flourish from Georgia Prestwidge and the wicket-keeper batter Nicole Faltum saw the Renegades post a challenging total of 170/6 in their quota of 20 overs.

Contributions from wicket-keeper batter Nicole Faltum (66* off 42 balls), Georgia Wareham (34 off 32 balls), and Georgia Prestwidge (23* off 9 balls) took the Renegades to a decent total on the board. Kim Garth (4-0-32-2), Marizanne Kapp (4-0-21-1), and Sophie Day (4-0-22-1) were the stand-out performers with the ball for the Stars.

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Melbourne Stars fall short despite a late blitz from Rhys McKenna and Tess Flintoff

The Stars got off to a decent start in the powerplay (30/2), and probably lost an extra wicket than they would have ideally liked, chasing a 171-run target. They lost the wicket of Ines Mckeon on the very first ball after the powerplay to put them in a spot of bother in the run chase. Skipper Annabel Sutherland was joined by Marizanne Kapp at the crease and the duo took their side past the 50-run mark courtesy of a 31-run 4th-wicket partnership.

Skipper Annabel Sutherland chipped one straight back to Deandra Dottin, providing the 4th breakthrough for the Renegades at a crucial juncture in the run chase. Marizanne Kapp was joined by Deepti Sharma at the crease and the pair kept their side in the hunt with another crucial 33-run 5th wicket stand. Deepti Sharma failed to step on the accelerator and eventually lost her wicket to the opposition skipper Hayley Matthews.

The Melbourne Stars were eventually restricted to 161/8 in their quota of overs, falling just 9 runs short. A spirited fightback from Rhys McKenna (34 off 18 balls) and Tess Flintoff (19 off 12 balls) with a 44-run 8th wicket stand took the Stars on the brink of a memorable victory in a run-chase. Marizanne Kapp (32 off 25 balls), and skipper Annabel Sutherland (21 off 18 balls) were the other players who stood out with the bat for the Melbourne Stars. Hayley Matthews (4-0-27-2), Deandra Dottin (4-0-32-2), Sarah Coyte (2-0-13-2), and Georgia Wareham (4-0-32-1) were the leading performers with the ball for the Melbourne Renegades.

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Wicket-keeper batter Nicole Faltum was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant innings of 66* off 42 balls with the bat for her side.

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