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Burns, Kerr sisters help Wellington Blaze to their fourth straight win in Super Smash

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Women's CricZone Staff
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Burns, Kerr sisters help Wellington Blaze to their fourth straight win in Super Smash

Wellington Blaze © Getty Images

40s by Rebecca Burns and Amelia Kerr along with a fantastic four-wicket haul by Jess Kerr helped Wellington Blaze beat Auckland Hearts by 40 runs in the Super Smash game at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Friday (December 24). With this victory, Wellington have now retained their top position in the points table with four wins. 

Earlier in the day, Wellington Blaze won the toss and elected to bat first. The decision seemed to work for them as the openers Georgia Plimmer and Rebecca Burns put on 41 runs without losing a single wicket inside the powerplay. However, in the seventh over, a run out sent Plimmer back home for just 23 runs. 

Burns then combined with Amelia Kerr to form a crucial 41-run stand. Burns eventually fell for 42 off 31. Kerr also scored 42 runs, but off 43 balls. Apart from her, cameos from Thamsyn Newton and Jess Kerr of 10 and 11 respectively, helped Wellington finish on 143 for five in their 20 overs. For Auckland, Holly Huddleston was the pick of the bowlers with two scalps. 

ALSO READ: Moments you want to play are ones where you bowl the last over or hit the winning runs: Amelia Kerr

In reply, Auckland got off to a really poor start to their chase, losing four wickets inside the powerplay. Among those were the wickets of Anna Peterson, Lauren Down, Katie Perkins and Holly Huddleston, all of which were picked by Jess Kerr. The score was just 24 by the time the fourth wicket fell. After that, the required rate kept creeping up as Bella Armstrong and Arlene Kelly got together for a 35-run stand, which was the highlight of the inning for the Hearts. 

Armstrong fell for 31, while Kelly was dismissed for 25. Tailender Saachi Shahri scored 16 while Jesse Prasad made 11, but neither of those contributions helped the Hearts as they ended their inning at 103 for eight, falling short by a lot. For Wellington, Jess Kerr was the star of the attack as she ended with figures of four for 13 in her four overs. Leigh Kasperek also picked up two scalps. 

Brief scores: Wellington Blaze 143/5 in 20 overs (Rebecca Burns 42, Amelia Kerr 42; Holly Huddleston 2/23) beat Auckland Hearts 103/8 in 20 overs (Bella Armstrong 31, Ariene Kelly 25; Jess Kerr 4/13, Leigh Kasperek 2/24) by 40 runs. 
Wellington Blaze Amelia Kerr Auckland Hearts Jess Kerr Rebecca Burns Super Smash 2021-22
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