Hobart Hurricanes pull off an unlikely win against Perth Scorchers

WBBL) encounter at the WACA on Saturday (November 6). Scorchers looked on course in the chase before they succumbed from 102 for three to 135 for eight, finding themselves short of the target.

Chasing 138 to win, Scorchers lost Beth Mooney early when Belinda Vakarewa accounted for her in third over for just one. Sophie Devine took on the pacer in the same over with two boundaries and a six before launching Molly Strano over long-on for a maximum.

However, Strano had the last laugh when Devine tried to go for a slog-sweep, only to sky it to Priest for a quickfire 15-ball 25. The fast start meant despite the two wickets, Scorchers finished on 42 for two at the end of six overs.

Post the power play, Chamari Atapattu hit Carey for two boundaries and with Choloe Piparo also finding a couple of fours, Scorchers were 68 for two at the ten-over mark. They lost Piparo in the next over as she was stumped by Priest off Amy Smith.

With Heather Graham and Atapattu finding a few more boundaries, Scorchers looked comfortably placed with the score reading 102 for three in 14.2 overs. Needing only 36 off 34 balls with seven wickets in hand, there weren’t any alarm bells ringing even when Atapattu became Vakarewa’s second victim for 33.

Marizanne Kapp and Graham hit one boundary each to reduce the target further. Scorchers needed only 24 runs from the last four overs when Carey came back to bowl her third over. She trapped Graham in front for 24 off 19 and gave away only four runs.

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In the next over, Ruth Johnston got rid of Mathilda Carmichael with an arm ball to finish her impressive spell. Strano got the prized scalp of Kapp in the penultimate over, but gave away seven runs, leaving Carey the unenviable task of defending five runs for an outright win.

The medium-pacer bowled full and castled Taneale Peschel with the second ball before bowling two dots of the new batter in Lilly Mills. Even though Mills found a leg-bye in the fifth ball, Alana King couldn’t hit the four that was needed to tie the score to take the game to the Super Over. That meant Hurricanes rode to an unlikely win giving away only 21 runs from the last four overs. Carey finished with figures of two for 17, while Strano and Vakarewa also picked up two wickets each.

Earlier, opting to bat first, Hurricanes started solidly with the opening pair of Priest and Naomi Stalenberg adding 38 runs in the power play. Priest started with an edge through thirdman before she slog-swept Peschel through backward square-leg for four. The wicketkeeper-batter then cut Kapp through point for another boundary.

In the seventh over, Devine introduced King into the attack and was immediately rewarded with the wicket of Stalenberg when the leg-spinner castled her for 15 off 19. In the next over, Priest launched Piepa Cleary over square-leg for her first six and in the company of Mignon du Preez added another 50 runs to take the score to 90 in the 14^th over.

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During the course of the partnership, Priest hit two more maximums with her six off Mills giving her the fifty from 46 balls. Peschel stuck in the next over with the big wicket of Priest for 54. Hurricanes found themselves in further trouble as Mills removed du Preez and Richa Ghosh in quick succession. Carey didn’t last long either as she fell to Kapp for just three.

Hurricanes went from 90 for one to 115 for six when they lost Johnston to King in the 17^th over. A ten-ball 15 from Strano took them to a competitive 137 for eight from the stipulated 20 overs. For Hurricanes, Graham, King and Mills took two wickets each.

Brief Scores:

Hobart Hurricanes 137/8 in 20 overs (Rachel Priest 54; Alana King 2/20, Lilly Mills 2/27) beat Perth Scorchers 135/8 in 20 overs (Chamari Atapattu 33; Nicola Carey 2/17, Belinda Vakarewa 2/23) by two runs