WBBL: Ellyse Perry orchestrates comfortable Sydney Sixers win over Melbourne Stars

The Sydney Sixers captain’s blistering start to the WBBL season continued as a spinner had a bizarre run-in with an umpire.

Ellyse Perry’s blistering start to the domestic summer has continued as she steered the Sydney Sixers home with an unbeaten 48 to claim an easy victory over the Melbourne Stars.

The Australian star reached a remarkable 300 runs in just five innings with an average of 100 as the Sixers cruised to a nine-wicket DLS method win on a rain-affected Friday at the Junction Oval.

Perry also made a vital contribution with the ball by removing Ines McKeon after the Stars opener had raced to 16 off seven balls when they were sent into bat.

The Sixers captain caught a faint top edge from McKeon with a short delivery before marshalling her spin bowlers superbly to put the clamps on the Stars’ innings.

Ellyse Perry already has 300 runs for the WBBL season after making an unbeaten 48 to take the Sydney Sixers to victory over the Melbourne Stars. Picture: Robert Cianflone / Getty Images

Sophie Ecclestone (3-18 off four overs) was introduced in the fifth over and struck immediately with a slider that champion batter Meg Lanning chopped onto her stumps to be out for two.

Stars skipper Annabel Sutherland (42 off 36) played beautifully through the off-side and lofted Lauren Cheatle over long-off for six two balls after a rain delay in a signal of her intent to lift the run rate.

But the Sixers kept the pressure on and were helped by the Stars’ head-scratching decision to bunker in-form hitter Rhys McKenna down the order at No.8.

After smashing a maiden half-century from 21 deliveries at No.5 last week, McKenna was not required to bat in the win over the Hurricanes and was only able to face three deliveries after being sent in behind Deepti Sharma (1 off 4) and Tess Flintoff (9 off 11).

She came down the wicket to a length ball from legspinner Amelia Kerr and lofted a six down the ground on the final ball of the innings to take the Stars to 7-122.

Kim Garth had Sarah Bryce out to a great catch by Lanning at first slip in the opening over, but Perry (48 off 44) and Kerr (46 off 41) cruised to have the Sixers six runs above the DLS par score at 1-104 after 15 overs when rain ended the match.

SOPHIE’S CHOICE

With the wickets of Lanning, Sharma and opener Yastika Bhatia, world No.1 ranked left-armer Ecclestone broke the game open for the Sixers but caught attention for an unusual interaction with an umpire early in her spell.

English star Sophie Ecclestone wanted the umpire to move further forward to allow her usual run-up, but the official wasn’t budging. Picture: Robert Cianflone / Getty Images

Ecclestone called over Perry and appeared to ask the umpire to adjust his position closer to the stumps but was left bemused when the official told her he would not move.

English women’s cricket umpire Sophie McLelland wrote on X that Ecclestone would not be happy with her request being declined.

“(Ecclestone) likes umpires to stand really far forward, as she starts her run-up exactly where an umpire would normally stand,” McLelland said.

It ultimately didn’t affect the star English spinner, who closed out her spell strongly.

POWER FIZZLE

Play was reduced to 18 overs per side after the first rain delay midway through the Stars’ innings, and the timing was hurtful to their momentum after calling for the two-over power surge on the previous delivery.

Marizanne Kapp drove Lauren Cheatle through mid-off for four on the first ball of the surge before the players were forced from the field and the power surge reduced to a single over under the tournament rules for lost play.

Sutherland hit Cheatle for six two balls after they returned to the field, but the next ball Cheatle was able to run out Kapp with a clever underarm at the nonstriker’s end, forcing a new batter to the crease and ruining the Stars’ plans for a big two overs.

Originally published as WBBL: Ellyse Perry orchestrates comfortable Sydney Sixers win over Melbourne Stars