Lanning leads Scorchers to win against Renegades

Meg Lanning and Elyse Villani combined to lead the Perth Scorchers to a victory against Melbourne Renegades at the WACA. The beat the Melbourne Renegades by 15 runs.

The opening pair batted deep into the Scorchers innings making a telling contribution of 143 for the first wicket from 92 balls. Of the two batters, it was Villani that looked more fluid at the start hitting 6 fours in the powerplay.

Villani would also be the first to bring up her fifty as she brought it up from just 42 balls. During the middle overs the Scorchers batters where pegged back by some tight bowling from Sophie Molineux and Lea Tahuhu.

At the halfway stage, the Scorchers were 0- 72 with Villani on 49. It was at that point that Lanning started to take control. In the fifteenth over she scored 11 runs off Maitlan Brown. Lanning was starting to catch up with Villani who scored her last boundary in the tenth over.

Meg Lanning started to open up and deposited Tahuhu for two huge sixes that bisected the two runs that brought up her fifty a ball quicker than Villani’s.

Both players fell within six balls of each other but by that time the Scorchers had set a platform to get to a total that they were confident of defending. Amy Jones and Nicole Bolton ensured that the Scorchers would finish on 2 for 172.

The Renegades have an opening partnership that has the potential to be just as explosive as the Scorchers. Danni Wyatt the England player was in confident mood as she scored 42 from 32 balls.

Up until the final ball of the powerplay, it looked like Wyatt and Sophie Molineux were up to the task. The pair added 49 for the first wicket. Jess Duffin came in and looked to back up Wyatt until the England international skied one to be caught and bowled by Taneale Peschel.

Duffin needed to find the boundary as the strike rate continued to rise before being bowled by Emma King trying to make room for a boundary too many.

By the time that Amy Satterthwaite walked to the middle, there was just too much for the Renegades to do. She did manage to score 34 not out but her team were still 15 runs too short.

Heather Graham was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 32. In the process, she became the Scorchers leading wicket-taker leapfrogging Katherine Brunt.

This is the sort of result that should get the Scorchers season moving. There might be some concern over Villani though as she did not take the field in the second innings. Hopefully, for everyone, it will have just been a precautionary measure.