WBBL | Gardner scalps five before Dunkley smashes in resounding 10-wicket win for Sixers over Scorchers

Opting to bat first, Perth Scorchers' opening pair of Beth Mooney and Katie Mack got the team off to a decent start before tragedy struck in the third over when some brilliant fielding by Erin Burns had the latter run-out for 11, with the first powerplay score reading 27/1. Nevertheless, the skipper motored along and looked in incredible touch when she struck consecutive boundaries off Lauren Cheatle, only to chip a simple catch to mid-off the very next ball. Mikayla Hinkley and Sophie Devine struggled to get going thereafter and there partnership had amounted to just six in two overs when Sixers skipper Ashleigh Gardner took the ball in hand for her second over. Devine immediately tried to break the shackles by cahrging her down but was controversially stumped when Emma Manix-Geeves' fumble saw the ball wobble onto the stumps and remove a bail. Paige Scholfield got a leading edge first ball simple to induce further trouble as the Scorchers found themselves reeling at 44/4. Freya Kemp and Hinkley combined thereafter to curb the collapse, before the latter finally caught up to speed with a couple of fours. The stand was beginning to look good at 39 off 30 deliveries when Ellyse Perry got the top edge of Hinkley to send her back for a run-a-ball 31, and made it a double whammy by pinning Chloe Ainsworth plumb in front first ball. A brilliant Gardner yorker proved to be too good for Kemp the next over as she departed for an 18-ball, the score 89/7 after 14. Alana King and Lilly Mills patiently built an 18-run stand to take the team past 100 but Gardner returned to remove the duo in the space of three balls to complete a fifer on Sixers' captaincy debut. Maitlan Brown completed the demolition with Amy Edgar's wicket in the final over to set her team a modest target of 110.

Perry got the chase off to a flying start with two boundaries in the first over, before number one pick Sophie Dunkley joined the party with two of her own in the next over. Two more Perry fours and a stonking Dunkley maximum off Devine later, the Sixers found themselves sitting pretty at 37/0 after four overs. The spread of field did little to contain the duo as Dunkley caught heat to smash three more maximums before bringing up a 34-ball fifty. Another six in the next over eventually took her to 61 off 40 before Perry finshed things off with a hattrick of fours to end unbeaten on 47 off 37.

On Fire

Six!

Funny Response

Brilliant!

Half century!

Five-Fer

Perfect Start

Captain’s Spell

Leader Leads

Fiery Spell