Sixers win WBBL clash despite Ellyse Perry's strange run-out
Kerr top-scores with 53 and takes 1-29 as Sixers stay unbeaten at 5-0
Quick Look
- New Zealand captain Melie Kerr scored 53 off 34 balls and took 1-29 to lead the Sydney Sixers to an 11-run victory over the Melbourne Renegades at Junction Oval, keeping the Sixers unbeaten at 5-0 and in second place alongside the Perth Scorchers.
- Ellyse Perry was run out in unusual circumstances after her dive bounced over the line, and Ashleigh Gardner took 3-13 to bowl the Renegades out for 129 chasing 141.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Sydney Sixers were unbeaten at 5-0 at the season's halfway mark, sitting in second spot alongside the also unbeaten Perth Scorchers. The match was the second of a double-header at Melbourne's Junction Oval. In the earlier game, Brisbane Heat defeated the Melbourne Stars, moving into the top four.
New Zealand captain Melie Kerr has starred with the bat and ball to keep the Sydney Sixers unbeaten in the WBBL with a victory over the Melbourne Renegades.
In the second match of a double-header at Melbourne's Junction Oval, Kerr set up the Sixers' 11-run win by top-scoring with 53 off 34 balls and finishing with tidy figures of 1-29.
It lifted the Sixers to 5-0 at the season's halfway mark and into second spot alongside the also unbeaten Perth Scorchers.
Kerr was the only batter to pass 50 in the game, sharing a crucial 56-run partnership with opener Ellyse Perry before the Australian star was undone in unusual circumstances.
In the 18th over, Kerr chipped a ball into the deep on the leg side and pushed for two, with Perry as Georgia Wareham swooped on the ball in the deep and fired it into the bowler's end.
Sophie Molineux fielded cleanly and whipped the bails off as Perry dove to make her ground, and there was only half an appeal from the Renegades to umpire Louise Broadfoot, who shook her head.
Former Australia captain Lisa Sthalekar in commentary credited Broadfoot and fellow caller Aaron Finch prophetically said: "There must be something in the back of the umpire's mind that goes 'what if I just haven't quite got it right though?'".
As the slow-motion replay on the big screen at Junction Oval showed Perry's dive bouncing over the line, rather than being grounded, the crowd and everyone on the field raised their eyebrows, with Broadfoot consulting fellow umpire Malcolm Wood before sending it to the third umpire.
Perry had already started making her way off the field before the decision was made, with her team adding 16 in the final two overs to set up the chase.
As the pitch slowed, the Renegades got off to a horror start chasing 141 to win after collapsing to 3-22 by the fifth over.
Molineux inched her way to 18 off 21 and was livid when caught trying to cut away Caoimhe Bray (1-17), but Tess Flintoff (44 off 33) breathed life back into the Renegades.
Needing 17 off the last over to win, spinner Ashleigh Gardner (3-13 off three overs) shut the door as the Renegades were bowled out for 129.
In the earlier game, a captain's knock from Georgia Redmayne propelled Brisbane past the Melbourne Stars and into the top four.
Set 166 for victory, skipper Redmayne (74 not out off 50 deliveries) and Irish young gun Orla Prendergast (52 not out off 36) put the Stars to the sword.
It was the Stars' fourth straight loss, while the Heat are sitting pretty in third with three victories on the bounce after going 706 days without a triumph.
Open Questions
- What was the final score of the Sydney Sixers' innings?
- What was the exact decision of the third umpire regarding Ellyse Perry's run out?
- How many wickets did the Sydney Sixers lose in their innings?