Rampaging Lanning trumps Destructive Danni as Scorchers edge Renegades in a thriller

Meg Lanning’s incredible 24-ball 44 took Perth Scorchers over the line by eight wickets in a last-ball thriller against Melbourne Renegades at the WACA in Perth on Friday (November 1). In a rain-interrupted encounter, the Scorchers skipper blasted four fours and three sixes to help her team surpass their 73-run (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern adjusted) target off the final ball of the match.

Scorchers began the chase on the back foot with Lea Tahuhu and Sophie Molineux keeping Lanning and Amy Jones quiet in the first two overs. That was when the first rain interruption (of the second innings) came. When the teams made their way back out onto the field, the hosts were given a revised target of 107 in 10 overs— which meant they needed a further 99 runs in eight overs. At that point, Lanning was unbeaten on two off 10 balls.

The target meant that both Lanning and Jones were looking to swing for the fences from the very start— something that would potentially give Renegades an opening. Sophie Molineux’s second over— the fourth of the innings— brought just that, with Lanning running down the wicket to tonk the left-arm spinner over the top only to be deceived in the air and completely miss the ball. Unfortunately for the visitors, Josie Dooley, the wicket-keeper, missed the stumping too. It was a chance Renegades would rue, and a moment after which Lanning would go completely berserk.

With the hosts 34 for no loss in four overs, the rain came again— this time harder than before. It left Scorchers needing 39 runs in 18 balls when play resumed.

The odds were stacked in favour of the visitors, but with Molineux and Tahuhu bowled out, and Lanning and Jones still in the middle, Scorchers still had a chance.

 

That was simply an extraordinary innings from Meg Lanning! 😱👏@CommBank #WBBL05 pic.twitter.com/NmlPvXV6cj

— Rebel Women's Big Bash League (@WBBL) November 1, 2019

 

On resumption, Jones crunched 13 runs off Maitlan Brown’s over to give the hosts the momentum. However, Georgia Wareham, the leg-spinner, struck off consecutive deliveries, dismissing Jones (stumped) and Natalie Sciver (bowled) to hand the advantage back to Renegades.

That was the moment the Scorchers skipper decided to step up.

After Nicole Bolton successfully saw off the hat-trick delivery, Lanning danced down the track and lofted a length delivery over long on for six, slapped the next ball through extra cover for two and then swatted a(n) (uncharacteristic) sweep shot past forward square leg for a boundary. The equation had been reduced to 13 required off the final over to be bowled by Molly Strano.

Strano is used to bowling in the power play. She enjoys the pressure, and almost always gets wickets when called upon to bowl when the field is up. Normally, Renegades would have backed her to defend 12. However, with Lanning in the ‘zone’ it felt like Scorchers were in the box seat.

 

BIG fist pump from the #Megastar 😎#WBBL05 pic.twitter.com/4Ll7T5EkaJ

— Rebel Women's Big Bash League (@WBBL) November 1, 2019

 

Once again, Bolton bunted one into the leg-side to hand Lanning the strike. With the fielders all in the ring on the off-side, Strano dropped the second delivery short of length and the right-hander made room to crash it past point for four. The next ball saw an attempted slog sweep fall short of the fielder at deep square leg, but Lanning managed to get back for two.

Equation reduced to six off three… Nerves building…

Ball number four was full and on the stumps. Lanning cleared her front leg, took it on the half-volley and blasted it past a very straight long on for four.

With two needed off two, Strano managed to squeeze in a dot ball. Renegades took a gamble and called the field in - six in the circle, and only three on the boundary on the leg side.

Strano over the wicket, ball speared in to leg-stump - the perfect line, but not quite the length... Lanning, made some room, got under the ball and lifted it over the mid-wicket fence to seal an incredible win for Scorchers. Having started slowly, the right-hander’s late blitz saw her collect 42 runs off her final 14 balls.

Earlier in the day, having been sent in to bat in overcast conditions on a pitch with a bit of grass covering, Danielle Wyatt’s unconquered 74 off 51 balls, and her 85-runs partnership with England teammate Tammy Beaumont, helped Renegades to an imposing total of 134 for 1 in 15 overs.

Wyatt and Molineux took the attack to Scorchers’ bowlers at the very start, advancing down the track to hit them over the infield. While the latter was struggling with her timing, the former looked in regal touch, effortlessly hitting the gaps and taking full toll on the hosts’ wayward bowling.

 

Danielle Wyatt's wonderful 51-ball 74 was in vain. © Getty Images

 

Once Molineux was dismissed— thanks to an incredible diving catch in the deep by Bolton— Beaumont proved to be the perfect foil for Wyatt. She bunted the ball into the gaps and ran hard between the wickets feeding Wyatt the strike. The opener found the boundary on 11 occasions through her innings, bringing up her fifth WBBL half-century, while also registering her highest score in the competition, and crossing the 1000-run mark.

A late surge from Beaumont (30 not out off 22 balls) following another rain delay, gave Renegades a much needed boost at the back end of the innings. However, it was not enough to contain a rampaging Lanning.

Brief Scores: Melbourne Renegades 134/1 in 15 overs (Danielle Wyatt 74*, Tammy Beaumont 30*) lost to Perth Scorchers 77/2 in 7 overs (Meg Lanning 44*, Amy Jones 23; Georgia Wareham 2-13) by eight wickets. PoM: Meg Lanning.