Champions! Strikers win first ever WBBL title

The third time is the charm for the Adelaide Strikers, with a superb bowling performance upsetting hot favourites Sydney Sixers on their home turf to seal the club’s first WBBL title.

Windies allrounder Deandra Dottin was the star with bat and ball, hitting an unbeaten 52 off 37 balls to carry her team to 7-148 before taking the key wickets of Suzie Bates (10) and Ashleigh Gardner (0) to trigger a top-order collapse.

Aussie speedster Brown (2-15) combined with Dottin (2-30) to leave the Sixers top-order in tatters at 4-16 and while Ellyse Perry (33) and Nicole Bolton (32) tried to salvage their chase, there was no denying the Strikers; the Sixers ultimately bowled out for 138 on the final ball of the innings.

It sealed a famous 10-run win in front of 6,478 fans at North Sydney Oval and completed the Strikers’ redemption fairy tale after their heartbreaking loss to the Scorchers in last year’s decider.

Brown was denied the wicket of Suzie Bates twice in the third over, when first Bridget Patterson and then Maddie Penna put down catches.

But it was third time lucky for the Aussie quick with her final delivery, with Penna this time hanging into the catch to remove Alyssa Healy for one.

Dottin then removed Bates (10) and player-of-the-tournament Ashleigh Gardner (0) in a double-wicket maiden, leaving the Sixers 3-13.

That then became 4-16 when Tegan McPharlin fumbled, but ultimately managed to stump Erin Burns (1) off the spin of Jemma Barsby.

Perry was joined by Bolton and the pair steadied, taking the Sixers to 4-43 at the midway mark of the innings, still 105 runs shy of their target.

Bolton showed her class in her final professional match, finding the boundary three times in a 60-run stand with her skipper, before McGrath rattled her stumps in the 14th over.

The Sixers’ hopes rested on Perry, playing at her favourite venue, with the required rate edging over 12 an over.

She found the boundary off Brown next over, but when she was bowled a ball later, it was left to the Sixers’ tail to pull off a miracle, with 66 runs still needed off 31 balls.

Maitlan Brown cleared the rope in her return from a back injury, but her highly entertaining 34 off 16, while lifting the spirits of the home crowd, was not enough as wickets kept tumbling at the other end.

Earlier, Dottin made the most of three chances, hitting an unbeaten fifty to help the Strikers to 5-147 after they opted to set the Sixers a target.

Strikers openers Katie Mack (31 off 26) and Laura Wolvaardt (15 off 16) put on 51 in first six overs before Kate Peterson continued her knack for taking a big wicket, with the South African caught at gully chasing a wider delivery.

Mack finished an over later in unusual circumstances, stepping on her own stumps moving back to the spin of Sophie Ecclestone (2-19).

She became just the second player in WBBL history to be dismissed in that fashion, the other was Suzie Bates playing for Perth Scorchers in WBBL|02.

Image Id: B2F2436CC643482C89290C5AC5E84C7D Image Caption: North Sydney Oval was packed for the WBBL|08 showpiece // Getty

Deandra Dottin was handed a life on one when Nicole Bolton put down a difficult chance at backward point, and then was twice caught off no balls on five and eight; the first off Peterson was signalled immediately, the second off Perry came after a third umpire review, with the Sixers’ celebrations abruptly cut short.

McGrath dispatched the second free hit into the hill for six, but her promising start ended on 24 off 21 when she was caught trying to clear the mid-on boundary, giving Nicole Bolton a wicket in her final game.

The Power Surge was comprehensively won by the Sixers, who removed the heroes from Thursday’s Challenger final, Patterson (7) and Penna (0) and leaking just seven runs.

But Dottin upped the ante to add 34 runs from the final three overs, including a massive six into the hill, and brought up her half-century with a scoop off the final ball of the innings.

WBBL|08 Finals

The Eliminator: Brisbane Heat defeat Hobart Hurricanes by 44 runs

The Challenger: Adelaide Strikers defeat Brisbane Heat by six wickets

The Final: Adelaide Strikers defeat Sydney Sixers by 10 runs

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