Sixers start WBBL05 with a bang, winning the Sydney derby against Thunder

The derby clash between Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder in the first-ever standalone Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) Season five saw Sixers win the clash by 49 runs on Friday (October 18) at North Sydney Oval. Ellyse Perry starred with bat, stroking 81 runs in just 48 balls and then shone with the ball, picking two wickets for just 13 runs.

In reply to Sixers 192, only Alex Blackwell scored a valiant 56 to put some respectability to the total.

Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to bat in a jam-packed stadium in North Sydney. Perry started things off in style by crunching Shabnim Ismail for a cover drive off the very first ball. Alyssa Healy spanked two boundaries off Samantha Bates to get going as Sixers raced to 18 in just two overs. The duo were particularly harsh on Bates as she leaked 20 runs in her two overs. Sixers eventually finished the power play on 44 without loss.

Healy smoked the first six of WBBL 05 by lofting Lisa Griffith over long-on. The moment of the day, however, arrived in the eighth over when Nida Dar - the first Pakistani player to earn a WBBL contract - came to bowl and provided the breakthrough as Healy spooned an easy catch to Alex Blackwell at point. Dar flighted the delivery and Healy took the bait. The wicketkeeper-batter was back in the hut for 42.

Ashleigh Gardner then walked in at number three and immediately signaled her intent by hitting Hannah Darlington for three consecutive boundaries in the 12th over. Sixers brought their 100 up in the 13th over as Gardner raced to 17 off just nine balls.

Meanwhile, Perry brought her 14th WBBL half-century off just 38 balls. Gardner then got a life on 21 as Blackwell put down an absolute sitter off the bowling of Bates. The duo brought the 50-run partnership but the joy was short-lived as Dar dismissed Gardner on the very next ball as she failed to clear long-on, holing to Ismail there.

A moment of brilliance in the field by Griffith brought Perry's end on 81. Erin Burns called for a tight single but Griffith was quick to the ball and hit the stumps directly at the striker's end to catch Perry short despite the dive.

Thunder's fielding towards the end was pretty good as it saw Sixers lose their last three wickets for just 13 runs to finish on 192 for six.

Chasing 193, Thunder got off to a poor start as Perry struck in her first over to send Naomi Stalenberg back for three. Soon They were two down for five as Perry removed the other opener, Rachel Priest, for 1. The big-hitting wicketkeeper-batter failed to clear covers.

Haynes struck the first boundary of the Thunder innings when she drove Marizanne Kapp through covers for four. But Kapp soon extracted revenge as she sent back the southpaw for 16, leaving Thunder three down inside the power play.

Blackwell hit Thunder's first six by smoking the ball over long-on. Blackwell, along with Phoebe Litchfield, began the rebuilding of the innings. The 16-year-old Litchfield looked confident in the middle even though Blackwell was the aggressor. Litchfield got going in the ninth over when she scored two boundaries of Silver-Hommes and brought the fifty up for Thunder. The young teenager didn't show any nerves out in the middle.

The asking rate crept to 15 and Thunder, at one point, required 105 in seven overs. The odd boundaries didn't help the cause and something had to give in. Sixers struck in the 14th over when Silver-holmes removed Litchfield for 26. By that time, however, the asking rate had crept well high.

Soon, Blackwell brought her fifty up off just 34 balls but in a bid to to accelerate, got out Sarah Aley for 56. Aley picked her second wicket immediately as she removed Dar. Thunder eventually fell short of the target by 49 runs.

Brief Scores: Sydney Sixers 192/6 in 20 overs (Ellyse Perry 81, Alyssa Healy 42; Nida Dar 2-44, Rene Farell 1-29) beat Sydney Thunder 143/9 in 20 overs (Alex Blackwell 56, Phoebe Litchfield 26; Sarah Aley 3-28, Ellyse Perry 2-13) by 49 runs. PoTM: Ellyse Perry.