Ellyse Perry carried her bat with an unbeaten 84 and Sarah Coyte delivered a masterful final over as Sydney Sixers held on for a thrilling one-run win over Melbourne Stars in the Women’s Big Bash League at Junction Oval on Friday.
Just three days after celebrating her 36th birthday, Perry whacked 84 not out off 57 balls, striking 13 fours and a six, to lift the Sixers to 160 for five after they were asked to bat. It was an innings of control and class: she reached her fifty off 36 balls, survived two dropped catches, and kept finding the boundary even as the overseas stars around her struggled. Ashleigh Gardner and Erin Burns made handy contributions to help the side to a competitive total, and Perry’s strike rate of 147.37 told the story of an innings that never let the Stars settle.
The Stars chase went down to the final delivery. Dani Gibson top-scored with 31 off 20 balls and Georgia Prestwidge finished unbeaten on 21 off 13, giving the home side a genuine chance to steal the game. Annabel Sutherland made 22 off 15 before falling to Perry herself, caught by Sophia Dunkley, as Perry finished with one for five from her single over. Frankie Nicklin provided one of the standout moments of the match, cleaning up Amy Jones with a beauty.
But it was Coyte who owned the finish. Her final figures of one for 27 off three overs did not jump off the page, yet her ability to concede only six runs and take a wicket in the clutch final over was huge, leaving the Stars stranded on 159 for seven and scratching their heads at the one that got away. With four needed off the last ball, the Sixers held their nerve to complete a second match-winning moment from Coyte in the space of eight days.
Perry was named Player of the Match, and the result left the Sixers with a perfect 3-0 record and top spot in the early WBBL standings, while the Stars are struggling at 1-3. For a tournament that has already produced a string of last-ball finishes, this was another reminder of why the WBBL keeps delivering humdingers — and why Perry, even at 36, remains the player the big moments belong to.
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