WBBL: Adelaide Strikers score thrilling three-run win over Hobart Hurricanes in Brisbane
Strikers tail-ender Sarah Coyte put in a player-of-the-match performance with the bat to help lead her side to a thrilling three-run win against the Hobart Hurricanes.
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One hundred and thirteen: it seemed a small target for the Adelaide Strikers to defend against the likes of the undefeated Hobart Hurricanes.
But some tight bowling from Tahlia McGrath (1/12) and Amanda-Jade Wellington (2/18) and the ’Canes found themselves needing 11 runs from the final over to keep their 2-0 winning streak going.
On Brisbane’s Allan Border Field, Strikers captain Suzie Bates handed the ball to Sophie Devine and the match was in her hands.
Hurricanes’ middle-order batter Nicola Carey — who’d hit a quick 36 — was on strike. The crowd was captivated.
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Ball one: Devine to Carey. Struck to long-off. Two runs.
Ball two: Devine to Carey. Mistimed to mid-wicket. One run. (Eight runs needed).
Ball three: Devine to Maisy Gibson. Slog to short fine leg. Two runs.
Ball four: Devine to Gibson. Struck to extra-cover. One run. And at this point, five runs were needed from the remaining two balls.
Ball five: Devine to Carey.
Carey slogged and the ball soared through the air to long-on. But there was Katie Mack just inside the boundary and despite a sore finger, she held the catch and her team-mates ran to wrap her up in hugs.
This match was almost won and the Strikers coaches were on their feet, hearts in mouths.
Ball six: Devine to Gibson. Played to deep mid-wicket. One run! The Hurricanes’ 7/110 had fallen three runs short.
So what do we know now at the end of the Strikers’ third game in the fifth season of the WBBL? That the Strikers will be a force to be reckoned with this WBBL season. Here are some other things we know:
1. Lauren Winfield will come in handy.
Known as “Moose” because of her power-hitting, the English recruit arrived in Adelaide on Monday to replace Stafanie Taylor who’s away until late November on duties with the West Indies. Winfield’s slotted into the side well and made a handy 23 (27 balls) on debut. On a wicket that saw no batter make more than 39 (from the bat of Carey), Winfield’s 23 was hard earned.
2. There’s some wag in the Strikers’ tail:
Sarah Coyte had a player-of-the-match performance to come in at number nine and top score for the electric blue.
After the power-hitters largely failed to fire (including only six apiece to openers Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates), Coyte came in with four overs to go and hit 24 off only 13 balls (including four boundaries). She pushed the Strikers over the 100-mark with a ramp shot — that apparently she’d only learnt to play a week earlier — that easily found the boundary.
3. Catches win matches:
As Mack’s great catch in the last over proved, but so too does quick thinking in the field. Keeper Tegan McPharlin’s underarm throw to run out the dangerous Chloe Tryon for a duck in the 19th over was a crucial wicket.
4. The WBBL’s big weekends work well:
It was Brisbane’s turn to host four teams playing double headers over two days and the crowd responded. This was the first time a women’s big bash game had a price on the gate in Queensland, and the crowd fell just short of a 2500 sell-out. Adelaide’s Karen Rolton Oval will host its own Big Weekend on November 9 and 10, featuring the Strikers, Sydney Thunder, Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars.
5. The batters will be looking to step up:
Next up, the Strikers play Perth Scorchers and the batters will be looking to improve the 113 they managed on Saturday. The field might look for a tidy-up too, with two dropped catches in the fifth over.
* Strikers play Scorchers, Sunday, 10.10am, at Allan Border Field.