Sixteen-year-old Caoimhe Bray, playing only her second Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) season, produced a stunning spell that completely derailed Sydney Thunder’s chase and defined the match. Her hat-trick arrived at a crucial stage, ripping through the Thunder’s middle order and turning a tentative pursuit into a collapse.
Bray struck first off the final ball of the seventh over, removing Phoebe Litchfield for 8 off 15, as the left-hander was caught by Ashleigh Gardner. That breakthrough pushed the Thunder deeper into trouble at 33/4, and the Sixers sensed an opening.
Returning for the ninth over, Bray delivered two more decisive blows in consecutive deliveries. Anika Learoyd (11 off 21) was dismissed bowled by Bray off the first ball of the over. One ball later, she completed a remarkable hat-trick when Laura Harris was caught by Erin Burns, a moment that plunged the Thunder from any remaining stability into complete disarray at 42/6.
Although the Thunder later found some resistance through Lucy Finn’s fighting unbeaten 49 off 34 and Shabnim Ismail’s unbeaten 11 off 17, their 43-run ninth-wicket stand only served to reduce the margin of defeat. Earlier, Chamari Athapaththu (3 off 6) and Taneale Peschel (10 off 13) had also fallen, leaving the scoreboard reading 75/8 before the late partnership lifted them to 118/8 in their 20 overs — still 24 runs short.
Bray’s devastating triple strike ensured that the Sixers’ 142/9, built on Sophia Dunkley’s 43 off 35, Alyssa Healy’s 26 off 15, and lower-order contributions, became a winning total. The damage inflicted by Caoimhe Bray proved insurmountable, her hat-trick standing as the defining moment of the contest.
