Kiwi dasher hammers ton as Scorchers roll Thunder
SOPHIE Devine has continued to make Aussie selectors wish she’d have been born on this side of the ditch.
The Perth Scorchers captain teamed up with Beth Mooney to devastating effect on Sunday, all but ending Sydney Thunder’s hopes of victory before their innings had even started.
The openers’ 173-run partnership, the second-highest in WBBL history and the highest ever by a pair of female Scorchers, ensured the Scorchers sealed an 81-run triumph at UTAS Stadium.
Devine’s 101 from 60 deliveries was the third century of her career and the fastest of WBBL|07 so far.
It was her eighth time scoring five or more sixes in a WBBL innings, which is five more times than her nearest rival has achieved the feat.
Mooney went for a duck in her last hit-out but proved she was at no risk of hitting a form slump any time soon.
Along with Tahlia McGrath, Mooney was Australia’s most consistent batter in the recent T20I and ODI series against India and she recaptured that form on Sunday, bringing up a WBBL half-ton for the 30th time.
It wasn’t until the 19th over that the opening partnership was broken, when Mooney edged an Issy Wong delivery to keeper Tahlia Wilson.
Devine followed her three balls later, caught in the deep by Smriti Mandhana, but by then the damage was done.
The Thunder barely fired a shot in their quest to accomplish a mighty task.
Their opening six combined for a total less than Mooney’s and only four of their batters hit double figures.
Alana King did the bulk of the damage for the Scorchers, registering a haul of 4-11.
Perry quietened any critics with a measured halfcentury to give her Sydney Sixers a fighting chance, but in the end her efforts were overshadowed by Harmanpreet Kaur.
Perry has moved herself down the order for WBBL|07, but against Melbourne Renegades her experience coming in at No.4 was crucial.
The star all-rounder arrived at the crease with the Sixers in strife at 2-8, but she scored an unbeaten, run-a-ball 50 as the Sixers set the Renegades a modest target of 119 to win at
UTAS Stadium in Launceston. But it was never going to be enough after the Renegades’ ‘death by spin’ tactic was perfectly executed.
Captain Sophie Molineux claimed the wicket of deadly Sixers opener Shafali Verma, before Kaur struck to send Ash Gardner (7) and Alyssa Healy (5) back to the sheds.
It left the Sixers struggling on 3-12, with the damage done inside the opening six overs as the Renegades took the pace off their bowling attack.
Nicole Bolton (38) and Perry combined to stop the fall of wickets, but they struggled to accelerate in the face of the Renegades’ stifling spin and medium-pace bowling.