Renegades survive scare, Strikers beat the champs

Australia spin duo Georgia Wareham and Sophie Molineux have helped a new-look Renegades line-up to a tense final-over victory in their first match of Weber WBBL|07, upsetting the Hobart Hurricanes by six wickets on their home turf.

New Renegades captain Molineux captured 2-12 in her first game at the helm, but was upstaged by her deputy Wareham who captured 3-13 – already matching her haul from an injury-shortened Big Bash campaign last summer – to limit the Hurricanes to 121.

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The Hurricanes’ bowlers led by Belinda Vakarewa (2-21) kept their side in it throughout the Renegades chase, but crucial errors and a late flurry from India recruit Harmanpreet Kaur (24no from 19) saw her team to victory with five balls to spare.

After opener Molineux was run out on 16, Courtney Webb (31 from 35) was kept on her toes by speedster Tayla Vlaeminck, who thought she had the newly promoted No.3 caught out for eight, but she was found to have overstepped.

Webb’s 68-run stand with Jemimah Rodrigues (33 from 34) kept the chase well in hand and while both fell in the same Vakarewa over, and Eve Jones (4) departed cheaply, Kaur dashed any hopes of a fightback Hobart win in the penultimate over when she dispatched a Nicola Carey delivery over the deep mid-wicket boundary.

The Hurricanes had gone into the tournament as one of the more fancied sides after a busy off-season on the recruitment front, but their new-look batting line-up failed to fire after new captain Rachel Priest elected to set the Renegades a target.

Hobart sprung a surprise as teenage recruit Ruth Johnston walked out to open with Priest, the 18-year-old impressing with three boundaries before Wareham entered the fray in the fifth over.

Bowling in the powerplay is a new move for the Victorian leggie, a responsibility thrust upon her following Molly Strano’s defection to the Hurricanes, but it paid off when she had Johnston caught for a run-a-ball 20, before she trapped dangerous South Africa star Mignon du Preez on the pads for five with her next over.

Priest was unable to bat with the aggression that has been her trademark, working her way to 21 from 23 deliveries before she holed out to Wareham in the deep.

Richa Ghosh made a serious impression in her Big Bash debut when she hit a Holly Ferling delivery clean out of Blundstone arena, but her 14-ball onslaught came to an end on 21 at the hands of her national captain Kaur.

The Hurricanes lost 5-29 to finish on 121 all out, with Naomi Stalenberg’s gritty 28 adding crucial late runs.

McGrath stars with bat and ball to topple defending champs 

Defending champions Sydney Thunder have been soundly beaten in their first outing of WBBL|07, going down to an inspired Adelaide Strikers outfit by 30 runs.

Sent in by the Thunder, the Strikers were shaky at 3-26, but new skipper Tahlia McGrath stood up superbly with a 34-ball 42 to help her team to 7-140.

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Then with ball in hand McGrath collected 3-17 as the Thunder were dismissed for 110 in 19.2 overs.

Adelaide were in early strife when Katie Mack (6) was bowled by left-arm spinner Sam Bates, before Dane van Niekerk fell to Sammy-Jo Johnson for 11 and Laura Wolvaardt was sent on her way for a golden duck.

Bridget Patterson’s departure for 11 had the Strikers 4-46, before McGrath set about rebuilding with Maddie Penna (35), the pair putting on 69 for the fifth wicket. Amanda-Jade Wellington put on the finishing flourish with an unbeaten 15 from 11 deliveries.

Defending a total that seemed about par, Darcie Brown (1-22) struck an enormous blow in the first over, as Penna completed a brilliant diving catch to remove Johnson (4).

McGrath collected the key wicket of Smriti Mandhana (4), and while Phoebe Litchfield (16), Corinne Hall (38) and Anika Learoyd (23) dug in, none could break the shackles imposed by the star-studded Strikers bowling attack.

A stunning boundary catch from Patterson put the icing on the 30-run win, as Adelaide marked themselves as a side to watch in WBBL|07.