WBBL | Rain voids Lanning-Sutherland effort as Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Stars split points in opener

Gantavya Adukia

ByGantavya Adukia,SportsCafe Editor

15

The final first round fixture of the Women's Big Bash League's latest season produced no result after a storm stranded Melbourne Stars and Adelaide Strikers without a result at the Junction Oval. The hosts had posted 184/5 and were on top defending at 32/1 after 4.2 overs when rain had its say.

Meg Lanning's 64 could not help the Melbourne Stars earn a positive result against the Adelaide Strikers as rain washed out their season opener at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Monday

‌Asked to bat first, skipper Meg Lanning got Melbourne Stars' Women's Big Bash League campaign off to a perfect start with a boundary first-ball before adding another two deliveries later. Rhys McKenna mirrored her accomplishment at the other end and by the end of the mandatory four-over powerplay, the hosts had raced away to 36/0. However, the spread of field brought instant success for Adelaide Strikers as Amanda-Jade Wellington struck in her opening effort to dispatch McKenna, but it did little to disrupt the former skipper's momentum wo struck a couple more boundaries in the next over. Amy Jones tried to match the tempo by ramping Tahlia McGrath over her head but could not last long when an attempt to take on Wellington resulted in yet another wicket for the leggie. Annabel Sutherland joined her predecessor next and signalled intents early with a boundary against the ambidexterous Jemma Barsby, taking the score at the halfway stage to 77/2. With a couple more boundaries for Lanning indicating how set the batters were, the Stars decided to cash in by taking the power surge at the start of the 13th over. Lanning immediately got down to business with a gorgeous inside out shot over extra cover before making room and smashing a six down the ground to bring up a 37-ball half-century. Stars thus took 17 off Schutt and were on course to do the same against Ecclestone when they struck two fours in the first three balls but tragedy struck as Sutherland's brutish drive took a deflection off the bowler's hands and ran out the backing up Lanning for a 42-ball 64. Nevertheless, Sutherland ensured they took a massive 30 runs off the Power Surge to be 119/3 after 14, and continued to motor along even after Darcie Brown had Marizanne Kapp nick behind for a duck. New bat in Danielle Gibson wasted no time in playing her role of destroyer at the death, the 24-year-old taking Barsby for two maximums in the 18th over before Sutherland brought up a 36-ball half-century with another six off Schutt. Gibson added three more boundaries thereafter to end on a 15-ball 31 as the Stars accumulated over 50 runs in the last four overs to take their score to a resounding 184/5 at the end of their quota.

In response, the Strikers wobbled early when they lost Tammy Beaumont for a duck to Kapp in an opening over worth just two runs. Her replacement Madeline Penna could not be less fazed, as she brushed past the setback with back-to-back boundaries in the second over. That was all the sinpiration Laura Wolvaardt needed as she brought out her trademark cover drive against compatriot Kapp to take the mandatory powerplay score to 25/1 before Penna struck the first maximum of the chase as soon as the field spread. However, with the score 32/1 after 4.2 overs, heavy showers accompanied strong gusts forcing players off the field and as luck would have it, the game had to be abandone just four balls out from a result.

Classic Lanning

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Lanning Legacy

Pure Class

Lanning Magic

Clueless Commentary

On fire!

Strong Start

Fifty!

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