Women's Big Bash League

[The Professor]

Adelaide showed that convoluted knock out systems are not all they are cracked up to be as the second placed franchise beat the third placed franchise (Brisbane) to join the first placed franchise (Sydney Sixers) in the final.

It was the bowling of the Adelaide unit that saw them prevail, sharing 8 wickets amongst 5 bowlers. Megan Schutt’s 3-26 was the most impressive haul as they limited Brisbane to 154. It wasn’t always plain sailing for Adelaide as they dropped behind the asking rate in the death overs but a last-minute sprint to the line got them there with three balls remaining. It has been a good spell for Schutt. She finished the (interminable) round robin stage with the tournament’s best bowling figures of 6-19 in their 26-run win over Sydney Thunder. Schutt is likely to end the tournament as top wicket taker. She has 3 more wickets than her nearest active rival, Sydney Sixer’s Ashleigh Gardner.

Beth Mooney ended her tournament with four very contrasting performances for Perth. After 99 & 75 she then scored 3 against Melbourne Stars and a duck against Melbourne Renegades. Despite this sharp about face she still leads the run scoring; however, Laura Wolvaardt needs 46 runs in the final on Saturday to overtake her. It is not just in Wolvaardt that that Adelaide have a batting dynamo as they also possess Tahlia McGrath who finished the main stage of the tournament with 93*vs Hobart.

The final is at 6.20AM on Saturday morning.

[The Professor]

At the North Sydney Oval on Saturday, the Adelaide Strikers defeated the Sydney Sixers by a score of 10 to win the WBBL championship.

As Adelaide concluded their innings at 147-5, Deandra Dottin scored an undefeated 52 runs off 37 deliveries, including two sixes and two fours in her final three overs.

Sydney's innings began 15 minutes later than scheduled because they wanted to prevent player visibility difficulties. After six overs, they were 16-4.

Adelaide, who was in the final for the third time in three years, won the WBBL championship for the first time in the league's history after the Sixers were eventually expelled for 137.

Neither Laura Wolvaardt nor Ellyse Perry could usurp Beth Mooney as top run scorer. Mooney has now scored the most runs in back-to-back WBBL’s.
Megan Chutt eneded the tournament with 27 wickets, including 13 in the last 4 games to claim her maiden WBBL medal.