Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur with staunch support of Windies captain set Thunder on fire to set them off to the winning spree in two consecutive matches this week.
During the 1st match, the strikers who lost the toss and were put to bat in the first innings. In a pace of every 10-15 runs, the strikers lost a wicket in the entire quota of 20 overs.
However, the tiny tinge of hope in the Strikers was the veteran Suzie Bates whose inspiring knock steered the team to a respectable total of 132 by smashing eight fours across the ground. But the real trigger was when Tahila Mcgrath was removed by a reverse hovering catch by Harmanpreet Kaur. The entire collapse began after that stupendous effort. Gibson, Farrell and Taylor picked 3-wickets each to vandalize the Strikers.
With an uphill task on hand for the Strikers to defend its total, it couldn’t curb the run flow. Though they got an early breakthrough with wickets of Stalenberg and Taylor, but the duo of Priest and Kaur, held the fort to push Thunders to an easy win with Six sixes smashed all over the park. Suzie Bates was adjudged the player of the match award for her sole effort of an unbeaten knock of 79 runs.
In the 2nd playoff that took place on Sunday, Thunder once again knocked down strikers to pull off a competitive win in the tournament.
The Strikers had put up a moderate score of 145.
Was it ever going to be enough for the Thunders to chase down? For the Adelaide Strikers, Bridget Patterson, 24, contributed a brisk 36 of 40, in a focused knock that had a strike rate of 90.
Thunder had Harmanpreet and Taylor to chase the target, during which both the players bought their respective Fifties. Kaur struck quick-fire fifty of just 34 balls, that had Six boundaries and two big shots to savor. Taylor hit a classy knock of 55 to push the score with ease. The partnership of Taylor and Kaur took the match away from the strikers, as the bowlers found it hard to crumble the strong batting line-up.
Taylor was adjudged the player of the match for her match-winning figures of 2/33 and 55.
With this win, the Thunders have won 4 out of 5 matches and three in a row to place them in the top two of the points table.
PERRY AND GARDNER GUIDE SIXERS TO EXTEND ITS WINNING STREAK
Perry and Co. continue their winning streak took their winning tally to four games. They topped the charts in the Second consecutive week, by winning two games this week.
While the 1st match was a rain-affected match, the other was a close contest between either of the sides.
In the Saturday’s match, the match was reduced to 15-overs per side. It needed an effort from every batter in the team to post a competitive total, rightfully Hurricanes had their plans executed when Heather Knight’s fifty powered them to a total of 133 runs in the alloted15-overs.
Moloney and Knight put up a 53-run stand to get them to this worthy total. Overall, it was their experience that paid off during this partnership. Proteas duo of Van Niekerk and Kapp were the pick among the bowlers who picked 3 wickets against the Hurricanes.
Sixers who were chasing a gettable target, received two blows in no more than 7 overs when both the Aussie’s star campaigners were sent back to pavilion due to their mistimed shots.
Gardner took over the duties to steady the team trapped deep in trouble, she along with the Erin Burns put up a brave fight to chase the target with 2 balls remaining. Gardner brought up her 1st fifty in the tournament during which she smacked twelve fours and three sixes to pull-off a special win. She was complemented well with Burns being the aggressor, her quick fire 43 was the big boost in order to power Sydney Sixers to a 7-wicket win.
Ashleigh Gardner was rewarded for her unbeaten knock of 79* with the Player of the Match honour.
In the 2nd playoff, Sixers sailed smoothly to restrict the Hurricanes by 17-runs with hard-hitting of Perry, Healey and Burns. Shortly the pacers and the fielding unit bowled out the Hurricanes for 141 runs. They got so close, all thanks to the stern and sole effort by Redmayne who fought till the end, but that effort went in vain as Hurricanes were consumed by the pace attack lead by Marizanne Kapp and Perry. Perry effected two run-outs which made the Hurricanes slip further away from the target.
Earlier, Perry’s classic show pulled the Sixers of to a target of 158. Erin Burns had again played the role of a finisher with her valuable knock of 44 runs. The sturdiness she provides to the middle-order is one of the pillars of Sixers success so far. Ellyse Perry was rewarded with the 3rd Player of the match reward this season.
DUAL PLAYOFFS: SCORCHERS RISE EVENTFULLY BEFORE THEIR GREAT FALL AGAINST ‘ERRATIC’ STARS
The Scorchers paved their way back to the winning ways on Saturday after a trail of losses in its previous outing.
The Stars were bundled out for a meager score that was as low as 124. A starry bowling pack comprising of names like Hayley Jensen, Heather Graham, Emma King picked two wickets apiece. In so doing they’d together effect a collapse from which the Stars would just not emerge or recover.
While the Scorchers were able to execute an easy chase, the Stars, on the other hand, put up a brave fight, the contest lasting till as long as the 19th over, hence getting into the death of the game.
The ever-dogged and often unsung, Elyse Villani and Graham would play the heroes with the bat.
Vilani scored her second fifty in the tournament, but Graham all-round skills are in a way leading the team to victory, she has been adjudged the player of the match for her match-winning knock of 39 runs and outstanding bowling figures of 2/29.
Though the Star’s bowlers were not effective in the dismissals they, in turn, put pressure on the batters to fight hard till the end, Sutherland and Osborne were the standout bowlers with an economy just over 4. Nonetheless, the score was below par, that ultimately let them go down fighting.
In another low scoring match, the Scorchers were reduced to 90 in 20 overs. A quick turn-around for both the teams, with the bowlers from both the teams proving their might at the end.
It took under 16-overs to chase this target down. The Scorcher’s bowlers like Graham and Jensen put up a brave fight to fight through the shackles. The actual collapse began when Villani and Jones were dismissed quickly within the 3rd over and the Scorcher’s middle order savior was bowled out for a duck. None of the other players that proved costly and it was the turn of the Stars to turn the match in their favor. Ferling and Elwiss cleared the top-order, while the captain Kristin Beams removed the middle-order in three consecutive overs she bowled.
Katie Mack for her quick-fire 33 of the Melbourne Stars was rewarded with player of the match honours.
STRANO’S 4-fer GOES IN VAIN AS RENEGADES FALL SHORT BY 21 AGAINST THE VALIANT HEAT
Despite Strano’s heroic effort, the batting effort by Melbourne Renegades let her effort go in vain. This has been a worrisome factor that they have to reckon with. With big heads like Wyatt and Satterthwaite in the team, Renegades failed to get to the finish line yet again. Their performance has been scanty and it was far from reach to chase down a target when they lost 4 wickets within a span of 18 runs. The lower-order was left with a huge target to chase down.
Brisbane Heat showed mixed stint with both bat and ball. In this match, their lower order added crucial 36 runs to push the Heats to an honorable score of 174. Strano was effective in removing most of the top-order batters, but the T20WC stars Molineux and Vlaeminck perished and proved costly for the bowling unit and went wicketless. Tahuhu and Strano restricted them to an extent with their tight bowling lines and spin troubled the top batters in the Heat’s team.
Strano was rewarded with the Player of the match award for her standout bowling figures of 4/21.
#During this week, Thunder and Sixers had the last laugh when both won the double playoffs that they played. They dominate the points tally with consistent contributions from Perry, Burns, Harmanpreet Kaur, Taylor.
Perry continued her dominance in the batting charts, while Heather Graham with 11 scalps topped the bowling charts for the 1st time. Hurricanes continue to slip inches away from the target, as they finish last on the points chart, but the Net Run Rate remains a positive sign for their side.
There were some blinders taken by fielders and some effective run-outs that were crucial in turning the match away from the other teams. Among the foreign recruits Knight, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Suzie Bates are the favorites in the tournament so far.
Next week has 9 matches lined up in the entire week, it is likely that the team’s points tally again will be revamped following tough competition from all ends.
