Perth Scorchers extended their unbeaten start to the WBBL season to five matches with a four-wicket win over Sydney Thunder at the WACA Ground on Wednesday, chasing down 160 with nine balls to spare despite being without injured captain Beth Mooney.
Thunder, who won the toss and chose to bat, were rescued by Heather Knight and Anika Learoyd after a dreadful start. Chloe Ainsworth struck in her first over to remove Georgia Voll, and Fatima Sana dismissed captain Phoebe Litchfield cheaply to leave the visitors on 18 for 2. Knight and Learoyd then steadied the innings with a commanding third-wicket partnership.
Knight was the more aggressive of the two, striking 71 off 46 balls with 12 boundaries, while Learoyd made 53 off 44. The pair added 128 runs for the third wicket off 84 deliveries, lifting Thunder from 18 for 2 to 146 before both batters fell within two balls of each other. The innings closed at 159 for 5, with Sana taking 1 for 26 and Ainsworth 1 for 22.
Perth’s reply began in chaotic fashion. Ines McKeon struck a first-ball six before falling lbw to Samantha Bates off the very next delivery. Katie Mack, with 31 off 27, and Sophie Devine, with 37 off 32, then steadied the chase with a 79-run stand for the second wicket. Their dismissals in quick succession, however, brought the Thunder back into the contest, with Perth losing four wickets for 41 runs between the 10th and 15th overs.
Mikayla Hinkley provided an important contribution with 24 off 16 balls before Chloe Piparo took charge of the chase. Piparo remained unbeaten on 20, but Ainsworth provided the finishing impetus. Coming in at 133 for 6 with 27 still needed off 27 balls, she struck two boundaries off the otherwise frugal Lauren Bell, who finished with 1 for 26, in an unbeaten 15 off eight balls, combining with Piparo for a 27-run stand to take Perth home in 18.3 overs.
The win keeps the Scorchers top of the table with a perfect 5-0 record and a net run rate of +1.469, while the Thunder slipped to 2-3 after a third straight defeat. Knight was named player of the match for her 71, but it was in a losing cause, and the Sydney Sixers, on 4-0, are now the only other unbeaten side in the competition. Mooney missed the match with quad tightness, with Devine leading the side in her absence, and the Scorchers’ next test comes on Saturday, when they host the Adelaide Strikers at the WACA.
Related:
- Gardner’s 18-Ball Fifty and Devine’s All-Round Show Keep Sixers and Scorchers Perfect in WBBL — https://t20star.com/gardners-18-ball-fifty-and-devines-all-round-show-keep-sixers-and-scorchers-perfect-in-wbbl/
- Mooney’s Unbeaten 80 and King’s Four-For Keep Scorchers Perfect as Thunder Suffer First WBBL Defeat — https://t20star.com/mooneys-unbeaten-80-and-kings-four-for-keep-scorchers-perfect-as-thunder-suffer-first-wbbl-defeat/
