Adelaide Strikers defeat Perth Scorchers on the back of half century from Tahlia McGrath
Loaded with international talent, the Perth Scorchers were supposed to be a fearsome task for the Adelaide Strikers. Tahlia McGrath had other ideas, breaking through with ball and then making hay with the willow.
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Tahlia McGrath came into the second round of the Women’s Big Bash due a big game.
From the opening two Adelaide Strikers games the previous weekend, the all-rounder hadn’t bowled a ball and had made a total of 24 runs.
But the 23-year-old — who enjoyed a stint with Lancashire Thunder in England’s Kia Super League in the off-season — had her plans in place.
Boy, did they pay off.
After taking 1/12 against Hobart Hurricanes on Saturday, she shone brightly in her side’s seven-wicket win over Perth Scorchers at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field on Sunday.
Taking 1/24 with the ball (including the crucial wicket of Perth’s topscorer Nicole Bolton on 41) she then came into bat and knocked an entertaining 65 from 46 balls to seal the Strikers win.
The day before, the Scorchers had treated AB Field to a batting masterclass in their win over Brisbane Heat, in which Perth openers Meg Lanning and Amy Jones piled on a 129-run partnership.
But against the Strikers’ attack, the pair couldn’t get past the second over.
After Lanning survived a passionate appeal for leg before with Megan Schutt’s first ball of the innings, she was clean bowled by Sophie Devine in the second.
Jones went the following over, caught beautifully near the mid-wicket boundary with the safe hands of Bridget Patterson and, after three overs, the Scorchers were on the ropes at 2/7 — with Schutt’s figures sitting at 1/0 from her 12 balls.
Bolton’s 41 and Nat Sciver’s 26 (24 balls) came in handy in getting Perth’s score over the 100-mark and they ended their 20 overs on 9/115.
Suzie Bates’ return to bowling continued well — she took 2/14, while Sarah Coyte impressed with 3/18.
If Saturday’s three-run, last-over defeat of the Hurricanes was a thrilling nailbiter for Adelaide, then this was a sit-back-and-enjoy-the-show type of affair.
But that doesn’t mean it all went to plan. The Strikers lost three of their batters cheaply and by the end of third over they were 3/23.
This is where McGrath stepped up.
The No. 3 batter had arrived at the crease in the first over when Bates was caught behind for eight, but it took McGrath until the fifth over to get off the mark.
When she did, it was with a hard-hit shot that hurtled past fine leg for the boundary and that set the tone for the rest of her innings: it was patient, powerful, thoughtful and reasoned; quick singles when needed, two long-bomb sixes when the ball said: “Hit me!”.
Her unbeaten 65 included eight boundaries and those two sixes.
McGrath was aided in her run-scoring ambition by English import Lauren Winfield whose 24 (28) was important at the other end.
In the 15th over, it was only fitting that McGrath hit the winning run (albeit luckily, given she mistimed her shot to cover and was dropped by the fielder) and she helped herself to the player-of-the-match accolades.
The seven-wicket win means the Strikers walk away from their big weekend on the road with two crucial wins from their two games and sit on top of the WBBL ladder with 3-1.
Importantly, it was the side’s second consecutive win in which big-hitting opener Sophie Devine failed to make stacks of runs (she was out for six on Saturday and Perth had her caught at deep fine leg for a duck).
Why this is so important is because prior to the weekend, the Strikers had not won a game in five seasons of WBBL if Devine had scored less than 14 with the bat.
This shows the renewed depth of the side that will now be seen as a real threat to the competition.
Next up, the team is back on the road, this time heading further north, to Mackay for a double header against Brisbane Heat on Saturday and Sunday.