All-round Devine, King power Perth Scorchers to comfortable win
The result saw Scorchers move up to the third spot on the points table
Sophie Devine and Alana King came up with a strong all-round show to power Perth Scorchers to a convincing victory against Melbourne Renegades at the WACA. Having posted a commanding 184/5, Scorchers restricted Renegades to 154/9, picking up a 30-run win. The result saw Scorchers move up to the third spot on the points table with 10 points while Renegades, two points behind, slipped to sixth, with both teams having one game left.
Scorchers' innings revolved around solid top-order contributions. A brisk 27-run stand between Katie Mack and Beth Mooney set the tone for them, before skipper Devine and Maddy Darke built a steady partnership to guide the team through the middle overs. Mack, who struck four boundaries, was out lbw to Milly Illingworth while Mooney was bowled by Georgia Wareham for 21, bring the No. 3 and 4 together in the 8th over with the score at 51/2. Devine scored 40 in the 69-run stand for the third wicket, striking two fours and three sixes, including two maximums off Issy Wong that took Scorchers past 100 in the 13th over.
Devine's stay came to an end in the 15th over, bowled by Alice Capsey on 40 off 28, while Darke fell in the next over to Wong, leaving Scorchers at 130/4. That they crossed 180 was thanks to Freya Kemp and King's blitz in the closing overs. Kemp hit four boundaries in her 13-ball 28 while King struck three fours and a six as she raced to 22 not out off 8, helping Scorchers score 54 in the last four overs.
Renegades suffered early setbacks in the chase and had a lot of catching up to do after slipping to 34 for 4. Deandra Dottin and Courtney Webb fell in the first two overs before Capsey and Sophie Molineux hit back with a barrage of boundaries. But Devine ended the stand with her second wicket, dismissing Capsey for 12, before accounting for the wicket of Molineux as well in her next over. Nicole Faltum and Wareham tried to build a partnership but Renegades got only 65 in the first half of their innings, leaving them with a required rate of 12 at the halfway stage.
The pair, however, remained positive as they added 65 in quick time before King broke the stand by dismissing Faltum for 28. In her next over, the legspinner also bagged the wicket of Wareham (43) to leave the Renegades at 119/6 in the 15th over. It came down to 51 off the last three overs as Tess Flintoff tried to take the fight back to the opposition. But Devine returned and ended her stay in the 18th over, returning figures of 4 for 25. There was little fight after that as Renegades got only 16 runs in the last two overs to fall well short, with the margin of defeat hurting their NRR as well.
