WBBL07: Melbourne Renegades cruise past Sydney Sixers despite Ellyse Perry’s best efforts

Taking the pace off the ball proved the key as Melbourne Renegades found the perfect way to subdue the star-studded Sydney Sixers and pull off an impressive victory.

The Renegades have won two of three games so far in WBBL|07. (Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images)

Ellyse Perry quietened any critics with a measured half-century to give her Sydney Sixers side a fighting chance, but in the end her efforts were overshadowed by Harmanpreet Kaur.

Perry has moved herself down the order for WBBL|07, but against the Melbourne Renegades her experience coming in at No. 4 was crucial.

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The star all-rounder arrived at the crease with the Sixers in strife at 2-8, but she went on to score an unbeaten, run-a-ball 50 as the Sixers set the Renegades a modest target of 119 to win at UTAS Stadium in Launceston.

But it was never going to be enough after the Renegades’ ‘death by spin’ tactic was perfectly executed.

Captain Sophie Molineux claimed the early wicket of dangerous Sixers opener Shafali Verma, before Kaur struck twice to send Ash Gardner (7) and Alyssa Healy (5) back to the sheds.

It left the Sixers struggling on 3-12, with all the damage done inside the opening six overs as the Renegades took the pace off their bowling attack.

Perry (L) brought up her half-century but didn’t get enough help from her teammates in the top order. (Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images)

Nicole Bolton (38) and Perry combined to stop the fall of wickets, but they struggled to accelerate in the face of the Renegades’ stifling spin and medium pace bowling.

“The Renegades took the pace off nice and early and it actually really worked in the powerplay,” said Bolton.

“Hats off to them. It was just about trying to get that one big partnership to try and get to a score that we could hopefully defend.”

In the end, the Sixers managed to reach 4-118, but it was always going to be short.

Renegades openers Eve Jones (38) and Jemimah Rodrigues (14) made light work of the chase as they put the Sixers’ bowlers to the sword early on, but it was Indian star Kaur who came through, hitting consecutive sixes to see the Renegades home by seven wickets and with 18 balls remaining.

Kaur finished the day with 2-17 and was the most economical of the Renegades’ attack. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)

Spin to win

Even without the injured Georgia Wareham, the Renegades had enough spin to completely stifle the Sixers, with Sophie Molineux (1-18) and Harmanpreet Kaur (2-17) doing the damage in the powerplay. The Renegades were so intent on taking the pace off that Australian seamer Holly Ferling wasn’t required.

Injury-plagued star returns

Left-arm quick Lauren Cheatle played her first match in seven months after a horror injury run that included back problems and shoulder surgery. The 22-year-old, who opened the bowling for the Sixers against the Renegades, made her international debut at 17 but hasn’t played for Australia since March 2019.

Originally published as WBBL07: Melbourne Renegades cruise past Sydney Sixers despite Ellyse Perry’s best efforts