Match recap: Strikers beat Renegades

Match in a Tweet: Renegades outgunned in the field as Devine shines with the bat to give the Strikers a 14 run victory.

The Hero: Sophie Devine used all her experience to play the defining innings in the match to propel the Strikers to a defendable total of 116.  Coming in to bat at 4-21, Devine worked the ball around in the initial stages to put on a crucial 50 runs for the seventh wicket with Tegan McPharlin. Devine was at her powerful best in the latter stages smashing two massive sixes on her way to a 38-ball 43.

The Supporting Cast: Opening bowler Megan Schutt produced a superb opening burst of 4-0-16-2 to keep the Renegades on the back foot from the outset.  The experienced Schutt used her slower ball diligently to dismiss both Rachael Priest (0) and Grace Harris (5) in her first two overs.  She was also extremely economical bowling 16 dot balls in the game-turning four-over spell.

The Consolation Effort: You simply could not keep Molly Strano out of the game early. The talented slow bowler deceived English superstar Tammy Beaumont and Bridget Patterson with her crafty off-breaks to set the Strikers back pedalling. She then made her mark in the field by running out former England captain Charlotte Edwards as the Strikers slumped to 3-21 in the initial stages. Strano returned in the final stages to snare Alex Price to finish with 3.3-1-16-3. Unfortunately for Strano, she was run out in a sensational manner while batting.

The Turning point: At 6-44 the Strikers were staring at defeat but a composed 50-run partnership between Devine and McPharlin changed their fortunes.

Run outs:  Bridget Patterson pulled off a remarkable run out with an amazing throw from more than 60 meters away to remove Strano.  Fielding at deep square leg, Patterson picked up the ball on the run before firing an accurate throw that hit the bottom of middle stump. The brilliant fielding started a trend as the Strikers managed to inflict another three run outs.

Next stop: Renegades will get a second crack at the Strikers when these two team meet again on Sunday at North Sydney Oval.