Masterful Mooney sets up Scorchers' charge to WBBL Final

Beth Mooney has continued her golden run in WBBL|11, hammering 76 to lead the Perth Scorchers to an 11-run win over the Sydney Sixers, setting up a date with the Hurricanes in Saturday's decider.

The world's best T20I batter was at her imperious best at North Sydney Oval, again rising to the challenge in a knockout game as she smashed 76 off 44 deliveries to steer her team to 8-183 after they were asked to bat by the Sixers.

Sophia Dunkley (41) and Ellyse Perry (29) gave the hosts a solid start to the chase, but another inspired bowling display led by Alana King (3-17) saw the home side kept to 6-172.

Sixers allrounder Amelia Kerr (42 off 29) produced her best knock of the season to keep the game alive into the final over, but an unlikely 22 needed from the last six proved beyond the Kiwi's reach.

The Scorchers will now travel to Hobart to meet the Hurricanes in Saturday's final at Ninja Stadium, as they eye their first title since WBBL|07.

The Sixers had finished second on the table at the end of the regular season, but their eight-year title drought will now continue.

Mooney's innings was the second highest score in a WBBL finals game behind Alyssa Healy's 77 against the Hurricanes in WBBL|02.

Having lost momentum with a collapse of 5-21 late in their batting innings, breaking the Perry-Dunkley partnership – the season's highest scoring opening pairing – early was going to be critical for the Scorchers.

They rued missed chances when the England import was given lives on 11 and 15 – the first a tough overhead catch that evaded the outstretched fingers of Sophie Devine, the second a regulation skied catch that bounced out of the hands of King.

King, bowling through the pain of the broken finger she's carried through most of the tournament, swiftly made amends when she broke the 58-run opening stand, with Perry mistiming a catch directly to Ruby Strange at midwicket.

Chloe Ainsworth continued Alyssa Healy's dire tournament when she knocked over her stumps in the ninth over, with the Australian captain's two-ball one following consecutive ducks.

When Strange had Dunkley tamely caught at long on four balls later, the Scorchers were in the box seat with the Sixers 3-74 as the required run rate crept above 11 an over. 

The dominance of the Perry-Dunkley partnership had helped the Sixers into the finals despite an underperforming middle-order, who suddenly found themselves called upon to keep their side's season alive.

The Perth attack turned the screws, 16 balls passing without a boundary before Gardner dispatched a Lilly Mills delivery for a six over deep midwicket. She promptly called for the Power Surge.  

Gardner was joined by Kerr, who had scored just 16 runs for the season coming into the Challenger, and the pair put on a 50-run stand in just 35 balls to keep the Sixers in the chase.

But King again intervened, first removing Gardner for 26 then Maitlan Brown for 14, leaving the unlikely equation of 39 runs off the final 15 balls.

Sent in to bat first by Sixers skipper Gardner with rain threatening to disrupt proceedings, Katie Mack picked up where she left off in Tuesday's Knockout, smacking two boundaries off Brown's first over.

She was handed a life on nine when Lauren Kua put down a regulation chance off the bowling of Lauren Cheatle, then rubbed salt into the wound when she hit a four, followed by a six, off the left-arm quick's next over.

At the other end, Mooney had been starved of the strike, facing just three deliveries in the Powerplay, then was also given a life on nine with Healy missed a stumping chance off the bowling of Gardner.

But the Sixers skipper was rewarded when she had Mack holing out in the eighth over for a 30-ball 40, breaking the 66-run opening stand.

At 1-88 midway through their innings the Scorchers had a foundation and took the Power Surge immediately after, but it backfired on Devine (7 off 9) when she holed out in the deep.

Paige Scholfield (14 off 8) went after Kerr, smacking an enormous six onto the hill before following up with another remarkable flat maximum a ball later. The New Zealand leggie got her revenge a ball later, however, when Scholfield top-edged and Healy safely pouched the high chance.

At the other end however Mooney kept rolling, reaching her fourth 50-plus score of the season off just 27 balls, before passing 500 runs for the tournament.

Maddy Darke (9) and Freya Kemp (1) departed cheaply in quick succession as the Sixers' started to claw back some momentum.

Mooney's onslaught finally ended in the 19th over when she was trapped lbw by Brown; and while Ainsworth put the icing on a solid total with a boundary via a reverse sweep final ball, the Sixers had done well to contain the Scorchers who lost 5-21 in the final 3.2 overs.

WBBL|11 finals schedule

The Knockout: Perth Scorchers beat Melbourne Stars by 28 runs

The Challenger: Perth Scorchers beat Sydney Sixers by 11 runs

The Final: Hobart Hurricanes v Perth Scorchers, Ninja Stadium (Saturday, December 13, 7.15pm AEDT)