Healy Smashes Sixers to convincing win

If the North Sydney Oval belongs to Ellyse Perry, then the Hurstville Oval is fast become the domain of Alyssa Healy. The Australia wicketkeeper scored her second WBBL century at this ground in the space of 12 months. The Sixers won by 74 runs with 5 balls to spare.

Suzie Bates the Adelaide Strikers captain had won the toss and put the Sydney Sixers into bat. Megan Schutt bowled her first over and the second of the game without conceding a run. It was after that that it all went wrong for the Strikers.

Healy and Perry have been a dangerous combination for all the teams they have played for together. Today they shared in a partnership of 150 from 97 balls before Perry was run out for 48. That only brought in Ash Gardner who was in no mood to play second fiddle to Healy.

Before yesterday Healy was searching for some for in the competition; she scored 70 not out against Melbourne Renegades at the SCG. She carried on that form today with 112 not out. While it looked like she was hitting the ball more cleanly today Alyssa Healy brought up her 50 in 33 balls; the same amount of balls as yesterday. That was in part due to the maiden she played out to Schutt.

Ash Gardner had a licence to hit when she strolled to the middle in the seventeenth over with the score 1 for 150. She hit three consecutive sixes in the next over. Gardner was helped out by being dropped by Tahlia McGrath twice in two balls; the second bursting through the fielder’s hands for her first six.

That late big hitting propelled the score to 1 for 206. It was the second highest total in WBBL history surpassed only by the Sixers total of 4 for 242 in WBBL|03 against the Melbourne Stars.

It was going to take something spectacular from the Strikers to chase down a target over 200. In Sophie Devine and Bates, they had the batters to do just that. Scoreboard pressure effects even they classiest of players as they chased the ball.

The gaps that were there for the Sixers were hard to find for the Scorchers and Devine was the first wicket to fall as she top-edged Marizanne Kapp looking to advance down the track; Healy obviously took the catch.

While Bates was still in the Strikers had a chance. The New Zealander looked in wonderful touch racing to 46 before she top-edged Lauren Cheatle.

Two wickets fell in the next over. Dane van Niekerk showed great awareness to tip the ball onto the stumps to run out Tabitha Saville for 12. Bridgett Patterson was also out in that over lbw as she tried to sweep the South African.

Wickets fell regularly after that. It gave Perry the opportunity to give Hayley Silver-Holmes a bowl. The 15-year-old did not disappoint as she took her first two WBBL wickets. It was another young player who did the damage as Cheatle finished with figures of 3 for 22.