Sixers Win With Ease As Hurricanes Poor Form Continues

One of the most talked about aspects of T20 cricket is momentum. That was no less evident at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Hobart Hurricanes have been in poor for all season and that continued today, as the Sydney Sixers last season’s champions continued their good form that has seen them only lose one game so far in WBBL|03. The Sixers won by nine wickets to show why they are one of the favourites to win the whole competition.

The worst aspect of the Sixers performance was at the coin toss when Ellyse Perry the home captain produced a technique that was gently made fun of by her teammate Allysa Healy. It was one of the last moments of luck for the Hurricanes who elected to bat.

With openers of the quality of Lauren Winfield and Hayley Matthews, it seemed like the best decision and Perry admitted she would have batted first given the choice. Perry is able to call upon a good bowling attack.

Marizanne Kapp the South African international is a bowler who gives little away, and she did just that as Winfield and Matthews struggled to get the ball away. There was some early movement and encouraged the batters to come down the wicket. It led to some early plays and misses.

It was a pressure that got to some experienced internationals, Winfield trying to lift the ball over mid-off hit it straight at the fielder Jodie Hicks off the bowling of Sarah Aley.

Matthews joined her back in the pavilion shortly after as there was a miscommunication between her and the new batter Veda Krishnamurthy; Matthews hit the ball straight to Perry at point and Krishnamurthy set off for the run and Matthews didn’t seem to know what was happening before making her way off the ground.

It seemed to kick Krishnamurthy on as she started to get the score moving, and it took a well-judged catch from Hicks on the long-on boundary.

Wickets, however, continued to fall at regular intervals and allowed the bowlers to dominate. Dane van Niekerk again was able to settle to return figures of 2 for 18.

The Hurricanes knew that their 98 all out was going to be nowhere near enough against a Sixers line-up even without Ashleigh Gardner still missing with a concussion.

They might have felt they were in with a shout when Healy was dismissed in the first over as she flicked Nicola Hancock through mid-wicket only for Corinne Hall to take a low diving catch.

All it did was unleash Erin Burns who had joined the Sixers this season from the Hurricanes. Burns was keen to prove to her former teammates just what they were missing as she set about finding the boundary with regularity. It would be the Hurricanes luck that Burns would score her highest WBBL score of 48 not out against her former side.

With the big-hitting coming from the other end it allowed Perry just to go about her innings without taking any undue risks. Perry is able to bat through the innings and accelerate if necessary. It gives her side the keep the score ticking over and puts the pressure back on the fielding side. Perry’s 41 not out was what has been expected of her.

There was never a need to do anything other than playing the ball on merit, with the run-rate required at under a run a ball from the start, and they eased to victory.

Sydney Sixers v Hobart Hurricanes

Hobart Hurricanes 98 all out (Krishnamurthy 16, Aley 2 for 18, van Niekerk 2 for 18)

Sydney Sixers 99 for 1 (Burns 48*, Hancock 1 for 14)