BRISBANE BURN SIXERS IN WBBL
A CAREER-BEST performance from Sammy-Jo Johnson with bat and ball has helped the Brisbane Heat to thump the Sydney Sixers by 66 runs and move to within one win of top spot on the WBBL ladder.
Johnson thumped 51 off 30 balls – her first WBBL halfcentury – in the Heat’s 7-154, before snaring 3-23 with the ball as the Sixers were skittled for just 88 at Sydney’s Hurstville Oval yesterday.
“Batting at No.3 is something new for me,” Johnson said.
“I’m enjoying the challenge of scoring as many runs as I can, as quickly as possible at the top of the order. I’m having a lot of fun with it.”
The Brisbane all-rounder deposited Sixers captain Ellyse Perry’s first two deliveries for big sixes and put on 40 in quick time with Jess Jonassen (40) for the fourth wicket.
Erin Burns (3-20) was the pick of the bowlers for the Sixers, who struggled to contain the Heat batters before wilting badly with the bat.
Alyssa Healy suffered a brain fade and departed for a golden duck, lobbing the first ball of the innings from Jonassen to Laura Wolvaardt who pouched a sitter at mid-on, and the Sixers never recovered.
They slumped to 4-25 which became 5-34 after eight overs when Perry, starved of the strike and struggling for timing, was lbw to Jemma Barsby (2-17) for just two off 11 balls in a rare failure.
South African skipper Dane van Niekerk top-scored with 25 but it was in vain for the Sixers, whose five-match winning streak was broken emphatically.
Meanwhile, Sophie Devine produced a magical all-round display to steer the Adelaide Strikers to a 19-run victory over the Melbourne Stars.
The star New Zealand allrounder smashed 95 off just 60 balls to dominate the Strikers’ total of 3-172, before capturing a career-best 5-41 to help reduce the Stars to 9-153 in reply at Adelaide Oval.
In yesterday’s other WBBL match, the Perth Scorchers secured a 15-run win against the visiting Melbourne Renegades at the WACA.