Cane train gathers steam with third straight win

Meg Lanning’s return to form was not enough to get the Melbourne Stars over the line in Hobart, as the Hurricanes eased to their third consecutive win in Weber WBBL|09.

Nicola Carey (41no off 30) and Naomi Stalenberg (33no off 25) combined to steer the Hurricanes to their target of 143 with six wickets in hand at Blundstone Arena.

Carey, batting for the first time this season after recovering from injury, and Stalenberg came together at 4-74 after the dismissal of captain Elyse Villani (41 from 36).

Overseas batters Lizelle Lee (17), Bryony Smith (1) had already been dismissed cheaply, and Annabel Sutherland, who is now the leading wicket taker in WBBL|09, raised the Stars’ hopes when she removed Villani and Heather Graham (2).

But Carey and Stalenberg were unflustered as their 69-run stand saw the hosts home with four balls to spare.

Electing to bat first, Lanning (75 from 50) turned around a string of low scores to strike her second half-century of the tournament, but once again she found herself lacking support as the remainder of the Stars’ strong line-up failed to fire.

Sophie Reid holed out for a duck as Molly Strano delivered a wicket-maiden to start the match, and Alice Capsey (3) followed shortly after, caught off the bowling of Shabnim Ismail (3-34), leaving the Stars 2-6.

That became 4-46 when Sutherland (12) and Maia Bouchier (10) also fell cheaply, and Sophia Dunkley snapped a streak of single-digit scores but failed to go on, dismissed for 17.

Lanning had made a circumspect start, reaching 24 from the first 26 balls she faced, but the Australian star then exploded, hitting 26 off her next 13 to reach a 39-ball fifty.

She helped the Stars take 36 runs from the power surge, but once she holed out to Strano in the 18th over, the momentum was sapped from the visitors’ innings as they scrapped to 8-142.

The Hurricanes now have three wins on the trot as they prepare to host the Brisbane Heat on Saturday night, while the Stars return home to meet an in-form Thunder outfit.

Weber WBBL|09 Standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Total points PTS
1 Adelaide Strikers Women STR	14	11	3	0	0	1.154	0	22
2 Perth Scorchers Women SCO	14	8	6	0	0	0.784	0	16
3 Brisbane Heat Women HEA	14	8	6	0	0	0.203	0	16
4 Sydney Thunder Women THU	14	7	6	0	1	0.298	0	15
5 Sydney Sixers Women SIX	14	7	7	0	0	-0.253	0	14
6 Hobart Hurricanes Women HUR	14	6	7	0	1	-0.597	0	13
7 Melbourne Stars Women STA	14	6	8	0	0	-0.779	0	12
8 Melbourne Renegades Women REN	14	2	12	0	0	-0.978	0	4

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points