Perth Scorchers 8 for 131 (Devine 45, Darlington 3-21) beat Sydney Thunder 97 (Knight 44, Graham 3-22) by 34 runs
Perth Scorchers captain Sophie Devine carried her side to another thumping victory but it came at a cost with her back giving way during the win over Sydney Thunder at Sydney Showground.
Following on from her 77 not out yesterday against the Renegades, Devine again top-scored with 45 from 44 balls to help the Scorchers to 8 for 131 before taking two wickets with the ball. But she injured her back while bowling the last ball of her third over and looked in severe discomfort as she limped from the field with the doctor and physio.
The Scorchers again relied heavily on the contribution of Devine and Beth Mooney with the bat but Chloe Piparo played an enterprising innings scoring 30 from 25 balls, with three boundaries, two of which came from skillful reverse and lap sweeps. The Scorchers were well placed at 1 for 94 with five overs to launch but collapsed losing 7 for 34 in the final 28 balls with Hannah Darlington picking up three wickets.
The Thunder’s chase got off to a disastrous start slumping to 2 for 8 in the second over. Heather Knight played a lone hand making 44 but her partners fell like flies as the Thunder were all out for 97. Heather Graham picked up three wickets while Nicole Bolton and Devine took two apiece as the Scorchers moved to second on the table.
Adelaide Strikers 8 for 119 (McPharlin 41*, Perry 3-14) beat Sydney Sixers 9 for 105 (Burns 28, Schutt 3-7) by 14 runs
A stunning rescue mission from Tegan McPharlin and a devastating spell from Megan Schutt helped the Adelaide Strikers to victory at Drummoyne Oval and ensured the Sydney Sixers’ slump continues.
The Sixers have now lost their last four and to make matters worse, Ashleigh Gardner was subbed out of the game with concussion concerns after landing heavily in the field. She dived for a ball in the outfield and knocked her head on the ground in the process and was subbed out of the game as a precaution.
The Strikers were struggling after being sent in slumping to 6 for 56 with Ellyse Perry claiming 3 for 14 including the prized scalp of Laura Wolvaardt. But McPharlin came to the rescue striking four fours and a six to finish with 41 not out from just 26 balls and drag the Strikers up to a modest but defendable total of 8 for 119.
The Sixers then made a mess of the chase with Perry and Alyssa Healy digging a major hole at the top of the order, and Schutt applying the pressure with the new ball. The pair scored just 19 runs from 44 balls between them and when Perry fell in the 11th over the score was just 2 for 45. The Strikers continued to squeeze and the Sixers folded with two run-outs in the middle order before collapsing late to finishing 14 runs short.
Schutt and Amanda-Jade Wellington conceded just 18 runs from their combined eight overs, with Schutt picking up three wickets while Wellington claimed the important scalp of Dane Van Niekerk.