Lizelle Lee’s 53-ball 101* – with 12 fours and 4 sixes in it – and Heather Graham’s whirlwind 28-ball 55 set up Hobart Hurricanes’ 93-run victory over Melbourne Renegades. The pair powered the team to a massive 212/3 in 20 overs, before the spin pair of Maisy Gibson (4 for 25) and Amy Smith (3 for 17) ran riot to bowl out the chasing side for just 119 in the 17th over. With this win, Hurricanes moved up to fifth spot and are only a point behind fourth-placed Brisbane Heat with one more game to go in the league stage.
Hurricanes flew off the blocks after being asked to bat first as Lee and Elyse Villani added 55 in five overs before the latter was dismissed. Georgia Wareham struck for the second time in the same over to leave Hurricanes on 55/2. Nicola Carey joined forces with Lee to add another 55 runs. She fell in the 13th over with Hurricanes on 110/2 but they managed to add another 102 runs courtesy the blitzkrieg from both ends – with Heather Graham hitting three sixes and as many fours in her knock to push the team past the 200-run mark. During this stand, Lee reached her century.
Renegades’ response was tame as they lost early wickets to fall to 31 for 3 in 5 overs. Shabnim Ismail did the early damage after which left-arm spinner Maisy Gibson ripped into the middle order to pick up four wickets. Amy Smith did the damage from the other end with her off spin as she bagged 3 wickets for just 17 runs. Sandwiched between these two spin performances was Emma de Broughe’s undefeated 19-ball 40 that included 8 fours. Her effort dragged the team total past 100 but The Renegades still fell well short of their target.
Brief Scores: Hobart Hurricanes 212/3 in 20 overs (Lizelle Lee 101*, Heather Graham 55*; Georgia Wareham 2-30) beat Melbourne Renegades 119 in 16.2 overs (Emma de Broughe 40*; Maisy Gibson 4-25, Amy Smith 3-17) by 93 runs
