Sixers sweep to convincing win

The Sydney Sixers eased to victory in a one-sided victory at the Adelaide Oval in the third WBBL final. The Sixers dominated from the start as the put the Perth Scorchers under the type of pressure that induces mistakes.
The Sixers would go on to win by nine wickets with 30 balls left to spare.
The victory was sealed long before Ellyse Perry hit the winnings runs from the last ball of the fifteenth over. It was a special moment for Perry who missed last season’s final and was fitting that she scored the runs that secured the win.
The Scorchers have relied on their opening pair of Elyse Villani and Nicole Bolton. They struggled to find the boundaries with the same ease that they had all season. The Scorchers were 22 without loss at the end of the powerplay.
However, the Scorchers were to lose their three best batters within the space of 14 balls as the fielding restrictions were relaxed.
Villani was the first to go for just 16 from 29 balls. With Sarah Coyte brought into the attack she tried to put her off her line and length and misjudged a delivery that dipped on her and Alyssa Healy was not going to miss the stumping.
Bolton was to fall to the first ball of Kim Garth’s spell lbw. The Scorchers were now 26 for three, that became even worse when Natalie Sciver trying to drive Perry edges behind to give Healy her second dismissal of the innings.
Megan Banting was the fourth wicket and it would be up to Thamsyn Newton and Heather Graham to rebuild the innings. They started to rotate the strike as they added 20 for the fifth wicket.
The run-rate was below what would take the Scorchers to a reasonable total and with the overs running out they lost wickets at regular intervals and finished on 99 all out.
With Healy and Perry opening the batting the Scorchers would have to take early wickets. It was not to be however as Healy set about reaching the target with ease.
The Sixers scored as many fours (six) in the powerplay as the Scorchers managed in their innings.
Perry again played the support role as Healy and Ashleigh Gardner looked to take the attack to the Scorchers bowlers.
The two openers scored 64 for the first wicket from the first ten overs and would be the only Sixers wicket to fall as she advanced to Emma King and Emily Smith was on hand to take the stumping.
Gardner took over the role of the attacking player and having been hit by Katherine Brunt that lead to two concussion over the summer would have been pleased to have pulled her tormentor for six.
With 8 runs left to win Perry scored two fours from the final balls of King’s fourth over.
Graham was the only Scorchers bowler to keep her run-rate under six an over which highlighted just how different things might have been had the Scorchers batting clicked on the day.
What will have delighted the Sixers is how they won both the final today and the semi-final on Friday without their influential South Africans Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp.
This final was not the fitting end to an outstanding third edition of this competition, but what has been shown over the course of the last two months is that this is the best competition in the women’s game and that the Sydney Sixers are the best side.
Sydney Sixers v Perth Scorchers
Perth Scorchers 99 all out (Cleary 18*, Coyte 3 for 17)
Sydney Sixers 100 for 1 (Healy 41, King 1 for 26)