Sydney Thunder 212 for 5 (Voll 92, Litchfield 49) beat Adelaide Strikers 148 (Mack 51, Bates 4-21, Ismail 3-18) by 64 runs
Sydney Thunder recruit Georgia Voll has enjoyed the red-letter day of her career, leading her side to their biggest win with a 64-run smashing of Adelaide.
In a record-breaking blitz at North Sydney Oval, Voll’s 92 from 55 balls helped Thunder smash their highest total – 212 for 5.
Spinner Sam Bates then claimed career-best figures of 4 for 21 from her four overs as Strikers collapsed to be all out for 148.
The result marked the Thunder’s most emphatic victory in the competition’s 10-year history, and their second win in three games to start the year. Two-time defending-champions Adelaide are now 1-2 to start the summer, in the shortened 19-game season.
And Voll was the star on Friday for Thunder, in just the 21-year-old’s third WBBL match since moving from Brisbane Heat. Brought to the Thunder on a three-year deal with the chance to open, the Queenslander smashed three sixes and 12 boundaries in her knock. It marked only her second half-century in 61 WBBL games, but offered a glimpse of what is possible at the top of the order.
“Definitely [that’s the best I’ve hit them],” Voll said. “I’ve been up and down the order, so it’s nice to be settled at the top of the order, play my role really well and have the backing to play my shots.It was nice to be able to bat for a long time because I got out quite cheaply in the first couple of games.”
She slog-swept Megan Schutt for a six early, pulled Darcie Brown for another six and put spinner Anesu Mushangwe deep onto the North Sydney hill. The right-hander looked set for a maiden century, before she picked out Amanda-Jade Wellington at short fine-leg while trying to scoop Orla Prendergast.
Voll’s runs came in 54-run opening stand with Chamari Athapaththu, before she and Phoebe Litchfield combined for a 96-run second-wicket stand off 52 balls. Litchfield also peppered the leg boundary in her 49, while bringing her creative strokeplay with a typical mix of scoops and reverse sweeps. The pair at one stage added six boundaries in seven balls, taking the game away from Strikers.
Heather Knight hit 28 from 15 late on as Thunder romped past their previous high total of 204 and to the third best score of any side in WBBL history.
In reply, Strikers were barely in the contest. Only Katie Mack’s 51 held the innings together early, as Shabnim Ismail took 3 for 18 before Bates ran through the middle and lower order.
Melbourne Stars 195 for 4 (Lanning 58*, McKenna 52) beat Sydney Sixers 56 for 4 by 32 runs (DLS method)
Meg Lanning produced a vintage knock and Rhys McKenna announced her arrival as a legitimate WBBL force to help the Melbourne Stars beat the Sydney Sixers.
On a record-breaking day at North Sydney Oval, Lanning and McKenna produced the fastest-scoring century-stand in WBBL history before rain ended the game early. Sitting at 68 for 2 at the halfway mark, Lanning and McKenna put on 104 runs from 43 balls.
Sixers were then 56 for 4 in reply when rain stopped play, falling to a 32-run loss on DLS.
McKenna, a 20-year-old, blitzed her 52 from just 22 balls, playing one of the shots of the tournament when she square-drove Ellyse Perry for six. She hit three sixes in total and seven fours, as she and Lanning took the game completely out of Sixers’ control.
Lanning was also in imposing form, after helping steady the ship early in her innings. She led the way as the Stars took 28 off one Lauren Cheatle over, cutting a full-toss no-ball from the left-armer for six over point. The former Australian captain also hit one of her classic cover drives for six off spinner Sophie Ecclestone, as Stars hit 127 runs from their final 10 overs.
Sixers then lost wickets cheaply in reply, with only Perry scoring an unbeaten 31 after Alyssa Healy was caught behind for 4 on return from a foot injury.
