A 92-run opening stand proves the difference as the Scorchers overcome the 'Canes at North Sydney Oval
Match Report:
ScorecardMatch Recap: Scorchers defeat 'Canes
Match in a tweet
Villani, Bates’ dazzling opening stand fires Scorchers to their first win of #WBBL02 over the Hurricanes
The score
Perth Scorchers (Villani 54, Bates 48, Matthews 2-19) defeated Hobart Hurricanes (Brunt 2-18, Graham 2-19 Grundy 2-29) by 17 runs at North Sydney Oval.
The hero
Southern Stars batter Elyse Villani could only manage three in the Scorchers’ WBBL season-opener on Saturday but she was at her brilliant best today. After crunching a textbook pull-shot for four off Veronica Pyke in the third over of the match, Hobart’s bowlers struggled to contain the right-hander. Sharing in a 92-run opening partnership with Suzie Bates, Villani struck eight boundaries and used the sweep against the Hurricanes’ spinners to good effect. She eventually departed for a 45-ball 54, in what turned out to be a match-winning hand.
The support act
Scorchers skipper Suzie Bates proved the perfect foil for Villani and the pair head a fearsome top-order that also features England allrounder Katherine Brunt and Southern Stars batter Nicole Bolton. While Bates didn’t find the boundary as regularly as Villani, she scored at better than a run-a-ball and her six off Amy Satterthwaite was spectacular (more on that later). The 29-year-old, who later chipped in with the key wicket of Georgie Redmayne, eventually perished two short of a half-century but her stand with Villani set the tone for the Scorchers’ victory.
The partnership
The Hobart Hurricanes restricted the Scorchers’ imposing opening duo of Bates and Villani to just 16 off the first four overs, thanks largely to some superb fielding in the off-side ring. But Villani smashed four boundaries off the final two overs of the powerplay to get things moving. From there, the Hurricanes did little wrong as the top-order pair played some superb shots to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Brooke Hepburn made up for putting down a tough earlier chance off Bates by holding on to a good catch off Villani in the deep to end the first-wicket stand. But by that point, the Scorchers were 92 in the 14th over and had laid a strong platform for Perth.
The turning point
If the Hurricanes were going to reel in the Scorchers’ 142, they were going to need a big contribution from their West Indian star Hayley Matthews. After a very tidy four-over spell with her off-spin that yielded 2-19, Matthews took her time to get set with the bat. But on nine, she chopped on trying to force one off the back foot off Brunt. The England fast-bowler was delighted with the scalp and Brunt then struck again in her next over to remove Hobart skipper Heather Knight to have them 3-31 after the powerplay. With Knight and Matthews in the sheds, the ‘Canes offered little further resistance.
The shot
We saw the Thunder’s Harmanpreet Kaur offer an early contender for shot-of-the-WBBL with a remarkable six over cover on the tournament’s opening day. But the degree of difficulty on Bates’ off-side maximum was perhaps even higher than Kaur’s. Hurricanes off-spinner Amy Satterthwaite saw the Kiwi back away and followed her, but Bates gave herself even more room and showed tremendous balance and timing to clear the cover boundary.
The innovation
Perth’s other overseas signing Brunt showed superb skill with a pair of clever ramp shots. First, she got down early to work left-armer Veronica Pyke over her left shoulder for four down to fine-leg. Then two balls later, she angled the bat the other way to scoop Pyke over her right shoulder for two. A nifty display of invention that shows no part of the ground is off-limits in T20 cricket.
The wash-up
The two sides split their two North Sydney duels over the weekend with a win apiece. The Scorchers return home to Perth to face the Heat at the WACA next Saturday while the ‘Canes face-off against the Renegades in Bendigo on the same day.