Strano backs ’Gades to rise
PLAYER of the match Molly Strano conceded the Melbourne Renegades were “shattered” after yesterday’s disappointing loss to Brisbane Heat.
The ’Gades were outclassed at Geelong Cricket Ground, falling 22 runs short of the Heat, which collected its second win of the WBBL.
Relegated to seventh after the result, Strano said the team was bitterly disappointed with the performance.
“They got away from us in the last three or four overs and that’s probably the game in the end,” the former Kardinia International College student lamented post-match.
“It’s a little bit disappointing . . . actually, we’re pretty shattered. We’ll review the match and hopefully we can bounce back.
“We head to Perth on Thursday, so we’ve got to bounce back quickly and hopefully we can pinch two wins pre-Christmas.”
The Heat batted aggressively from the outset, reaching 50 in the fourth over before eventually posting 8-174.
The ’Gades were briefly on track in their run chase, but fell away in their middle order to reach 7-153 off their allotted overs.
The Heat had numerous contributors with the bat but Sammy-Jo Johnson was most destructive, hitting 31 off 10 balls as the Queenslanders were off to a flyer.
Laura Harris repeated the dose at the tail of the innings with 29 not out off 12 balls, while Beth Mooney (25) and Jess Jonassen (26) were also among the runs.
Spinner Strano avoided the carnage, taking 4-21 to continue her recent good form.
“It was nice to play a role with the ball,” she said.
“I wasn’t happy with the way I started the WBBL, especially last round hen I got taken down by (Suzie) Bates and (Sophie) Devine, so on a personal front is was nice to reign in the runs and take a few poles.”
Danni Wyatt (32) and Amy Satterthwaite (38) provided a solid platform to the Renegades’ run chase, adding 75 for the opening wicket.
But Satterthwaite’s dismissal kickstarted a steady loss of wickets.
On a down day for the Renegades, star Tayla Vlaeminck put a scare through the camp when she went to ground on the slippery surface.
But Strano said the young pace bowler was fine.
“It was just precautionary,” she said. “She ran into bowl and slipped, and she’s had a pretty checkered injury history, so we were just playing the caution card there and didn’t want to risk anything.
“It’s a long tournament and we wanted to play it safe with her. We were just concerned with her running in on a wet wicket.”