Women’s Big Bash League 2017-18, Day 2: Round Up

Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) continued to amaze their fans on the second day as well with the teams battling hard to achieve the glory. Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Sixers made it two wins in their two outings on consecutive days as Hobart Hurricanes suffered to heavy losses on both the days. However, the matches were not high-scoring like the first day and all of them were virtually one-sided as only one of the two sides in the game dominated from ball one.

Scorchers start on a winning note

Perth Scorchers and Brisbane Heat locked horns to start their campaign at North Oval in Sydney as the former side won the toss and opted to bat first. Natalie Sciver smashed 84 runs off just 46 deliveries which propelled their score to 188/6 in their stipulated 20 overs. She was well supported by a quickfire 37* from Lauren Ebsary. In reply, Australian star Beth Mooney got off to a brilliant start but was undone on 23 off just 12 deliveries.

The wickets fell at regular intervals for Brisbane despite the valiant unbeaten effort from Delissa Kimmince who scored 87 off just 54 cherries. But nobody assisted her in the middle as the second-best score in the line-up was of Mooney as they could score only 170 in the chase. Katherine Brunt from England scalped three wickets conceding only 23 runs which broke the back of their opposition.

Strikers annihilate Hurricanes

Adelaide Strikers rode on the century of their skipper Suzie Bates who scored 102 runs off just 65 deliveries and helped their team post a hefty total of 176 runs with the loss of 6 wickets. Veronica Pyke was the pick of the bowlers for Hobart as he returned with the magical figures of 4/17. In reply, Hurricanes never looked comfortable in the chase and collapsed on 93 losing by a huge margin of 83 runs in their consecutive second game. They need to hit the straps soon to avoid being knocked out early from the competition.

Veda Krishnamurthy was the highest scorer for her team with the bat but she also could only score 21 runs off 24 balls in the chase. She didn’t bowl in the game but would love to improve her performance with the bat in the upcoming matches.

Sixers trump Thunders

In what was a clash between the two Sydney teams, Sixers trumped Thunders by six wickets in a comparatively close encounter. Thunders opted to bat first with an aim to win their second match on the trot and posted 142 runs for the loss of six wickets on the back of a half-century from an experienced Alex Blackwell. Ellyse Perry was the best bowler for her team with a spell of 2/15 with other bowlers like Marizanne Kapp also chipping in with wickets with their variations.

Alyssa Healy led the chase for Sixers and slammed 49 off just 27 balls at the top and her job was wisely completed by the centurion of the last match Ashleigh Gardner. She made the most of her purple patch and scored 47 runs to script the second consecutive win for her side. They chased down the target with eight balls to spare and now are at the second position in the points table.

Harmanpreet Kaur improved her show with the bat and scored a crucial 29-run knock off 21 deliveries. She hit 3 fours and a solitary maximum but was dismissed just when she was looking good for a big score. A big score might be around the corner for the Indian superstar.

Brief Scores:

Match 4: Perth Scorchers Women v Brisbane Heat Women

Scorchers 188/6 after 20 overs (N Sciver 84, L Ebsary 37*; S Johnson 2/24)

Heat 170/9 after 20 overs (D Kimmince 87*, K Brunt3/23)

Match 5: Hobart Hurricanes Women v Adelaide Strikers Women

Strikers 176/6 after 20 overs (S Bates 102; V Pyke 4/17)

Hurricanes 93/10 after 20 overs (A Wellington 3/9, T McGrath 2/9)

Match 6: Sydney Sixers Women v Sydney Thunders Women

Thunders 142/6 after 20 overs (A Blackwell 58; E Perry 2/15)

Sixers 146/4 after 18.4 overs (A Healy 49, A Gardner 47; S Taylor 1/27)