Stafanie Taylor played the key innings as the Strikers took victory and Hannah Darlington held her nerve for the Thunder

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2020Sophie Devine hammered the first century of the WBBL season with a fierce display of striking that included seven sixes to set up a victory for the Scorchers which boosted them to mid-table after a difficult start to the season. Three of Devine’s sixes came off consecutive deliveries against Ashleigh Gardner whose one over of the innings went for 24. Her century game from 65 deliveries – the second fifty taking 29 balls – when she lofted the first ball of the last over against Marizanne Kapp for her final six. The opening stand with Beth Mooney, the two high-profile off-season signings, of 151 was the highest partnership of the tournament so far. The middle order found it difficult to hit from ball one – Dane van Niekerk was on a hat-trick – but Ellyse Perry ended with the unusually expensive figures of 0 for 40 off four overs. In the chase the Sixers couldn’t get the base they needed as Perry and Gardner went inside the first four overs, both lbw to the impressive Taneale Peschel, then Alyssa Healy was caught behind in the eighth over to leave them 3 for 50. Kapp and Erin Burns added 62 but a spectacular turnaround was always a long shot.Contrasting emotions: Hannah Darlington celebrates while Rachel Priest is dejected•Getty ImagesHannah Darlington held her nerve in the final over of a gripping finish to deny Rachel Priest as the Thunder fought back to take a one-run victory. The Hurricanes, through Priest’s belligerent display, were well on track for most of their chase but fell away badly in the closing overs. At one stage they needed 18 off 19 balls with seven wickets in hand before Chloe Tryon fell to Darlington and Priest lost too much of the strike. The final over started needing 11 and it became 10 off three balls when Priest heaved a leg-side six which was followed by a wide. However, Darlington then fired one in at the pads which became a dot and needing three to win off the last, or two for a Super Over, she delivered a yorker which Priest could only take for a single. The Thunder only got as far as 129 thanks to another superb innings from Heather Knight, who would later add two crucial wickets. They were 4 for 78 when Rachael Haynes fell to the 15-year-old legspinner Amy Smith then Knight and Phoebe Litchfield added 31 in four overs but the final three overs only brought 19 runs. Tammy Beaumont, who had laboured to 18 off 26 balls, was smartly run out by Nicola Carey when Knight played the ball back to her and Carey turned to see Beaumont out of her ground.Stafanie Taylor’s 60 helped Adelaide Strikers recover•Getty ImagesStafanie Taylor played the key innings and then a collective bowling performance helped the Strikers come out on top despite a late charge by Carly Leeson. Both sides were in trouble with the bat early on: the Strikers were 4 for 26 after seven overs and the Renegades 3 for 12 after four. Rosemary Mair again took two wickets in an over before Laura Wolvaardt was run out in a mix-up with Taylor, but she then marshaled the innings alongside handy efforts by Amanda-Jade Wellington and Tegan McPharlin. In the chase, the Renegades top order was under pressure from the start when Sophie Molineux was run out by a direct hit from Sarah Coyte at mid-off, Lizelle Lee was lbw trying to sweep Megan Schutt and Amy Satterthwaite, having made 1 off 10 balls, was bowled swiping at the rapid Darcie Brown whose four overs went for just 12 and included a single boundary. Georgia Wareham and Courtney Webb rebuilt, but Wareham’s departure in the 14th over made it tough for the Renegades. There was the threat of a late twist, however, when Leeson took 19 off the 19th over from Schutt and then two boundaries in the first three balls – the second off a borderline no-ball full toss – in the last made it 9 needed from three but it proved out of reach.