Melbourne Stars will host the Sydney Stars at the CitiPower Centre in the two sides second meeting of WBBL|10
All you need to know: Melbourne Stars v Sydney Sixers
Match facts
Who: Melbourne Stars v Sydney Sixers
What: Match 18, Weber WBBL|10
Where: CitiPower Centre, Melbourne
When: Friday, November 8. Bat flip at 10.30am local (10.30am AEDT), first ball at 11.00am local (11.00am AEDT)
How to watch: Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports
Buy tickets: Tickets are on sale here
For all matches in WBBL|10 there will be a Weber Baby Q up for grabs during the innings break. Fans can simply scan the QR code on the big screen to compete in trivia on their phone. The fan with the most correct answers in the fastest time will win.
Live scores: Match Centre
Highlights, news and reactions after the match: cricket.com.au, the CA Live and Big Bash apps
Officials: Daryl Brigham (field), Lisa McCabe (field), Chris Grant (third), Clare Haysom (fourth), Bob Parry (match referee), Sarah Elliott (match referee)
Match squads
Melbourne Stars: Annabel Sutherland (c), Yastika Bhatia, Sophie Day, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth, Maisy Gibson, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Ines McKeon, Rhys McKenna, Sasha Moloney, Sophie Reid, Deepti Sharma
The Stars have named an unchanged squad for their next two matches against the Sixers (Friday) and Melbourne derby against the Renegades (Saturday).
Sydney Sixers: Hollie Armitage, Caoimhe Bray, Maitlan Brown, Sarah Bryce, Mathilda Carmichael, Lauren Cheatle, Sophie Ecclestone, Ashleigh Gardner, Elsa Hunter, Amelia Kerr, Kate Pelle, Ellyse Perry (c), Courtney Sippel
New Zealand star and T20 World Cup champion Amelia Kerr has been named in the Sixers squad after recovering from a left quad injury and will make her debut for the Sydney club if selected in the final XI. The Sixers will be missing Australia captain Alyssa Healy however due to load management, but she is set to return for Sunday's blockbuster Sydney Smash at the SCG.
Form guide
Melbourne Stars: WWL (most recent first)
The Stars have bounced back since losing their first game of the season, winning two games in a row including a rain-affected clash against the Sixers.
Sydney Sixers: WLLW
The Sixers won their must-win clash against the Hurricanes to snap a two-game losing streak, making it two wins from four games to start the season.
Players to watch
Ellyse Perry shows no sign of stopping after posting another half-century for the Sixers against the Hurricanes. She top scored again with a score of 86 from 63 balls, taking her average from four games to 84 at a strike rate of 165.
Sixers' young star Caiomhe Bray burst onto the scene in the sides' first game of the season against the Renegades but continues to show she is no one-hit wonder. Bray was crucial to the Sixers' win over the Hurricanes, taking the crucial wickets of Nicola Carey and Chloe Tryon.
Yastika Bhatia has made the Stars' top-order her own since touching down in the WBBL. The Indian batter had her best innings in the Stars' last start, showing off her class with a game-high score of 57.
Head-to-head
Overall: Melbourne Stars (10 wins), Sydney Sixers (9 wins)
At the CitiPower Centre: Melbourne Stars (1 win), Sydney Sixers (1 win)
Most runs: Ellyse Perry (567), Alyssa Healy (553), Meg Lanning (485), Ashleigh Gardner (421), Lizelle Lee (201)
Most wickets: Marizanne Kapp (17), Ashleigh Gardner (14), Kim Garth (12), Annabel Sutherland (12), Sophie Day (10)
Rapid facts
- Each of the last four WBBL games between the Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers has been won by the away team on the day, including a four-run win by the DLS method for the Sixers in their last game against the Stars in Melbourne.
- Melbourne Stars have won five of their last six WBBL games, including their last two, after winning only two of their previous 10, while the Sydney Sixers are on a six-game winning streak outside New South Wales in the competition which is their best outside their home state.
- Melbourne Stars have a bowling economy of exactly 6 this WBBL season – the best of any team – while the Sydney Sixers' economy of 8.2 runs per over is the most expensive of any bowling outfit in the competition; in fact, it is the Sixers' most expensive season on record by one run per over (7.2 in 2023).
- Meg Lanning (Melbourne Stars) has scored 188 runs at an average of 62.7 across her last five WBBL innings and has hit four half-centuries across her last seven innings against the Sydney Sixers, including an unbeaten knock of 58 runs in her last match against them (November 1, 2024).
- Ellyse Perry (Sydney Sixers) has scored 80-plus runs in three of her last five WBBL innings, logging four half-centuries in that period, and has a batting average of 84 this season, which is the third highest of any player in a campaign (minimum 50 balls faced).
What's on the line?
The Stars took the win the last time these two sides met in a rain-affected game earlier in the season.
The Sixers had to win against the Hurricanes on Wednesday to keep themselves in the hunt for a top-four spot and with that result ticked off, the Sixers will get a big boost with Melie Kerr joining the side for this clash.
While the Sixers will be looking to avenge for the loss earlier in the season, both sides need the points to solidify their path to the finals.