Ellyse Perry smashes winning runs for Sydney Sixers in super over to defeat Melbourne Renegades in WBBL semi-final
Sydney Sixers captain Ellyse Perry showed again why she’s widely regarded as the best in the world as she led her team to a thrilling super over win against Melbourne Renegades. WATCH
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Another day, another Ellyse Perry masterclass.
The Sydney Sixers captain showed again why she’s widely regarded as the best in the world as she led her team to a thrilling super over win against Melbourne Renegades, tonking a six with two balls to spare.
The victory booked the Sixers in their fourth straight WBBL final, where they’ll face Brisbane Heat, who earlier defeated Sydney Thunder on the last ball of the match.
Perry dominated with bat, with ball and in the field. A 54 not out backed up by a wicket, a catch and the winning runs.
“This WBBL you may as well rename it Ellyse Perry show because she’s showing everybody how to play cricket at the moment and it’s great to be on her side,” said Sixers keeper Alyssa Healy, who was alongside her captain for the winning runs.
“You know she’s going to give 110 per cent where she can. To take the last over (bowling), gutsy call obviously, she would have been really tired.
“Full credit to her, she’s an unbelievable athlete and hopefully she can get us over the line next week too.”
Both semi-finals came down to 13 runs needed off the final over and both had a wicket on the final ball.
The Sixers’ incredible run out of Sophie Molineux on the final ball showed why they’ve been such a dominant WBBL force as no one gave up on the final play.
Needing three to win Clare Koski had smacked Perry towards the boundary but an incredible diving save from Erin Burns – who also finished with 2-13 with the ball – allowed Sarah Aley to fire the ball back to Healy behind the stumps.
The quick-thinking keeper saw confusion in the running and pegged it to the other end for a direct hit, restricting the Renegades to just two runs.
“I threw it as hard as I possibly could and normally they go three foot wide,” Healy said.
“Thankfully it hit, but unbelievable effort on the boundary by Erin Burns to stop the boundary.
“Soph had batted all innings so it would have been really tough for her to turn around and get two.
“It all just fell into place and from there we wrestled the momentum back and managed to over in that super over.”
Needing three to win, Clare Koski had smacked Perry towards the boundary but an incredible diving save from Erin Burns – who also finished with 2-13 with the ball – allowed Sarah Aley to fire the ball back to Alyssa Healy behind the stumps.
The quick-thinking Sixers keeper saw confusion in the running and pegged it to the other end for a direct hit, restricting the Renegades to just two runs.
It was the second scare to run through the Sixers.
Renegades hopes were high after a stunning start to the match that had the Sixers at 4-33 in the ninth over.
Sydney had won the toss and elected to bat but Perry was left in the middle trying to hold it all together in the Sixers’ innings the scores were starting to resemble a passcode.
It was the second scare to run through the Sixers.
The Renegades’ hopes were high after a stunning start to the match that had the Sixers at 3-19 early.
Sydney had won the toss and elected to bat but Perry was left to hold it together as the Sixers’ scores were starting to resemble a passcode.
Healy went for one in the third over, Ashleigh Gardner followed on four the next, then Erin Burns was run out for one the one after that. When Sara McGlashan headed back in the ninth over having made just seven the champions’ backs were well and truly to the wall.
But Perry’s stand, her fifth half-century of the season and sixth time she’s carried her bat, resurrected the Sixers’ innings with the help of Dane Van Niekerk (51 not out) and their 98 partnership to guide the team to a 4-131 finish.
The Renegades’ innings was almost a mirror image as early wickets were halted by a stand between the opener and a middle order bat. But Perry haunted them still.
She bowled Emma Inglis for a duck and claimed the run out of Amy Satterthwaite (2), but it was her catch on the run of Jess Duffin (41) in the 14th over that was crucial as her and Molineux mounted a half-century partnership.
“To get the win and make another WBBL final is an incredible achievement by this group,” Healy said.”
“We look forward to next week but wow, that was a serious game of cricket.”
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