Perry blasts Sixers over the line to beat Heat

Brisbane Heat had done well to restrict the Sixers to just 1 for 25 in the powerplay. Grace Harris took the vital wicket of Alyssa Healy for just 2 from her first ball.
Ash Gardner and Perry took some time to get started, although in pure Gardner style it took her just ten balls to clear the boundary. The Sixers, however, did not bring up the fifty mark until the tenth over.
The Heat bowling was constantly outside off stump and at times neither Perry or Gardner could pierce it. Kirby Short has set good fields that had frustrated the Sixers batters. Gardner’s innings of 36 came from 38 balls.
Ellyse Perry as well was taking time to go through the gears, but when she did the crowd were rewarded with some big hitting late in the Sixers innings. Perry’s first fifty came from 45 balls. The Sixers were in danger of posting a below-par total.
Going into the sixteenth over Perry had yet to reach her fifty. The next 20 balls saw Perry put her foot on the accelerator. Her last 12 balls saw her clear the ropes three times, one of those a no-ball full-toss from Sammy-Jo Johnson.
Perry still needed the selfless running of Erin Burns who ran herself out to ensure that Perry was on strike for the last two balls of the innings. Perry then secured her century from the final ball of the innings.
The Sixers jumped from 2 for 123 at the end of the eighteenth over to 3 for 166 at the end of the innings.
Things didn’t look any better for the Heat when Grace Harris was out caught in the first over. It brought Johnson to the crease and along with Beth Mooney they started to get stuck into the Sixers bowling.
Most players find it hard to dominated Marizanne Kapp, but Johnson was far from intimidated. The Heat were 1 for 56 from the powerplay. Unfortunately for the Heat, they could not build a telling partnership. They were going to have to maintain a run-rate of over 9 an over.
In previous tournaments, the Heat’s 7 for 155 would have been enough to win this game. The Sixers, however, look a difficult side to beat once again.