Melbourne Stars, led by skipper Annabel Sutherland, were up against Hobart Hurricanes, led by skipper Elyse Villani, at the Junction Oval, Melbourne, in the 24th match of the ongoing 11th edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).
Hobart Hurricanes suffered their first defeat of the season in their previous game against Sydney Sixers, led by skipper Ashleigh Gardner. Melbourne Stars, on the other hand, registered their 2nd consecutive victory of the season by defeating Brisbane Heat, led by skipper Jess Jonassen in their previous game. Both teams retained the same side that took the field in their previous encounters in the season.
Amy Jones’ fifty, Danielle Gibson’s cameo takes Melbourne Stars past the 150-run mark
The visiting skipper, Elyse Villani, won the toss and opted to bowl first. Hayley Silver-Holmes continued her impressive stint in the ongoing edition of the tournament, as she provided the first breakthrough for the Hobart Hurricanes, ending the 22-run stand and Rhys McKenna’s stay at the crease in the 4th over of the innings. The breakthrough halted the promising start for the Melbourne Stars provided by Meg Lanning.
Wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones joined Meg Lanning and the crease, and the duo took the innings forward with a crucial 52-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. The introduction of Nicola Carey proved to be fruitful as she ended Meg Lanning’s (26 off 26 balls) composed stay at the crease in the 11th over of the innings, providing the 2nd breakthrough for her side.
The home side lost the momentum as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. The pair of Danielle Gibson and Amy Jones led the revival of the innings with a counterattacking 44-run partnership for the 5th wicket, which also took them past the 130-run mark. The Melbourne Stars eventually breached the 150-run mark as they ended their innings at 151/6 in their quota of 20 overs.
Amy Jones registered an enterprising half-century (59 off 40 balls), while Danielle Gibson (39 off 27 balls) provided the finishing touches to the innings. Nicola Carey (4-0-29-2), Hayley Silver-Holmes (2-0-11-1), and Linsey Smith (4-0-31-1) were impressive with the ball for the Hobart Hurricanes.
Bowlers deliver as Melbourne Stars complete a hat-trick of victories
Marizanne Kapp landed a massive blow as she cleaned up the in-form Lizelle Lee for a golden duck on the first ball of the run chase, providing the Stars with a dream start to their defense. She also cleaned up Danielle Wyatt-Hodge in the 2nd over of her spell to reduce the Hurricanes to 13/2 in the 3rd over of the run chase.
Nicola Carey (18 off 18 balls) joined Nat Sciver-Brunt at the crease, and the pair led the much-needed recovery with a vital 33-run partnership for the 3rd wicket, which took them closer to the 50-run mark. The Stars skipper Annabel Sutherland pulled the curtains on Nat Sciver-Brunt’s promising all-round outing, 27 (21 balls) with the bat, to go along with her (3-0-26-1) spell with the ball, providing the 3rd breakthrough for her side.
A plethora of wickets heavily dented Hobart Hurricanes’ hopes as they were reduced to 59/6 in the 11th over of the run chase, which eventually proved to be decisive. The Hurricanes were bundled out for 114, with 22 balls to spare. Despite a spirited 40-run partnership for the 7th wicket between skipper Elyse Villani (38 off 21 balls) and Hayley Silver-Holmes (18 off 14 balls), the Hurricanes fell 37 runs short of the target, suffering their 2nd consecutive defeat in the ongoing edition of the tournament.
Sophie Day (3.2-0-17-4) was the stand-out performer with the ball for the Melbourne Stars. Kim Garth (3-0-19-1), Marizanne Kapp (4-0-29-2) and skipper Annabel Sutherland (3-0-26-2) played their part with the ball for their side.
Wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones was awarded the Player of the Match for her impressive half-century with the bat, setting a platform for a comprehensive win for the Melbourne Stars as they climbed to the 2nd spot in the points table with 9 points from 6 games so far.
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