Amelia Kerr starred with both bat and ball in her first appearance of the season to help Brisbane Heat return to winning ways. Kerr first picked two wickets as Hobart Hurricanes were restricted to just 120/8. And then in the run chase, the New Zealander hit a fluent 59 off just 43 balls to star in the run chase as Heat reclaimed their top spot.
Hurricanes made a disastrous start when Lizelle Lee was dismissed for just 1. While Elyse Villani stood firm at one end, wickets kept tumbling at the other. Among the top six, three batters were dismissed for single-digit scores before Ruth Johnston joined forces with Villani to stem the rot. From 44/5, they helped their team recover briefly before Heat fought back. Villani was left stranded on 58* but with almost no support at the other end, Hurricanes posted a below par total.
Molly Strano did give her side a dream start with the ball to raise Hurricanes’ hopes. Georgia Redmayne also departed in the powerplay and that did put a bit of pressure on the batting side before Kerr went on a boundary-hitting spree. She smashed 10 boundaries in her 43-ball innings to turn the game around and even though she was dismissed later, Heat got the job done with 16 balls to spare.
Brief scores: Hobart Hurricanes Women 120/8 in 20 overs (Elyse Villani 58*, Ruth Johnston 26; Charli Knott 2/15, Amelia Kerr 2/16) lost to Brisbane Heat Women 124/4 in 17.2 overs (Amelia Kerr 59, Charli Knott 21*) by4 wickets
Chamari Athapaththu’s sizzling half-century helped Sydney Thunder hammer Melbourne Stars for their fourth win of the campaign. Chasing just 124, Thunder got off to a great start with the Sri Lankan batter dealing in boundaries to keep the Stars attack at bay.
Athapaththu was involved in a century stand for the first wicket alongside Tahlia Wilson as the two batters scored at a brisk pace. Athapaththu in particular was severe on the bowling attack as she hammered 11 fours and a couple of sixes in her 40-ball 69. By the time she was dismissed, her side needed just five more runs to win as they got the job done with 43 balls left in the chase.
Earlier in the evening, a disciplined effort with the ball from Thunder kept Stars to just 123/5. Sophie Reid and Meg Lanning were both run out and the likes of Alice Capsey and Annabel Sutherland struggled to force the pace as well. The run rate didn’t go past six for the major part of the innings before two boundaries off the last two balls dragged the total past the 120-run mark, which was never going to be enough against a rampaging Athapaththu.
Brief scores: Melbourne Stars Women 123/5 in 20 overs (Annabel Sutherland 42*, Sophie Dunkley 34; HJ Darlington 2/13) lost to Sydney Thunder Women 128/1 in 12.5 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 69, Tahlia Wilson 45*) by 9 wickets
