Team first for Lanning after memorable knock

Meg Lanning may have pulled off one of the most formidable final-ball wins in Rebel WBBL history on Friday night, but she insists the job isn’t done for Perth yet. 

Requiring 13 runs off the last over, the Scorchers captain single-handedly led her team to victory over the Renegades with a six off the final delivery, but Lanning is already looking ahead to the rest of the weekend. 

“It’s a massive win and I think this win could certainly help us towards the back end of the competition,” Lanning said after the rain-affected match.

“You need to win a couple of close ones throughout the season, but we need to back it up (on Saturday).

“I don’t think we’ve got a great track record in winning two from two in weekends. We’ll re-group and hopefully come back out and have a good performance.”

The Scorchers recorded an emphatic win over reigning champions Brisbane Heat last Saturday but couldn’t back it up against the Strikers the following day. 

The Australian captain said there’s also room for improvement from her bowling attack. 

“I think we’ve got a bit of work to do with the ball,” Lanning said. 

“I thought we made it easy-ish for them especially in the first six overs, I feel like they just punished the balls that were too full.

“I thought we pulled it back pretty well in the middle but (Danni) Wyatt batted exceptionally well, she’s a world class player so she punishes anything where you’re just a little bit off.”

Wyatt powered her way to a stunning 51-ball 74 to remain unbeaten and anchor the Renegades’ innings, but the knock was in vain as the Scorchers proved the beneficiaries of the wet conditions. 

“I think the fact that we only had to face eight overs in the end meant that we could go as hard as we liked,” Lanning said. 

“We just needed boundaries so it was a bit of a license to go out there and swing the bat.”

Ranked the second-best T20 batter in the world, Lanning had returned two single-figure scores in her first three innings this WBBL before her match-winning knock. 

“I feel like I’m hitting the ball well, I just haven’t been able to get through the first period I guess in a couple of innings,” Lanning said.

“I wasn’t too concerned, but I think the fact we needed to chase 10 (an over) today probably helped, I didn’t really have a choice about how I was going to play.”

The Perth big weekend continues at the WACA Ground today, with the Renegades backing up against the Sixers from 3:10pm AEST followed by the Scorchers against the Stars from 6:55pm AEST.