Renegades and Scorchers have the top two spots in the points table after their respective wins
ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2021Smriti Mandhana cracked a landmark unbeaten 64-ball 114 from the top of the order, but Sydney Thunder’s chase of Melbourne Renegades’ 175 for 4 fell agonisingly short as the rest of their batters managed to score just 51 runs, Tahlia Wilson failing to accelerate towards the close when some hits could have made the difference.The star of the show, however, was Harmanpreet Kaur, Mandhana’s India team-mate, who put in a special all-round performance on the evening. She first scored an unbeaten 81 in 55 balls, and then bowled her four overs for just 27 runs, picking up a wicket along the way. She also bowled the last over of the chase, and with the Thunder requiring 13 to win, conceded just eight.The Thunder, near the bottom of the eight-team table, won the toss and asked the Renegades, at the other end of the ladder, to bat, and got early success when Samantha Bates and Issy Wong accounted for Jemimah Rodrigues and Carly Leeson by the second over.Smriti Mandhana ended on the losing side, but only after recording the highest individual score in WBBL history•Getty Images
For the next 11 overs, though, Eve Jones and Harmanpreet controlled the flow of the game, putting together 91 runs for the third wicket. Jones became Bates’ second wicket after a 33-ball 42, with six fours and a six, but Harmanpreet batted through till the end as Jess Duffin and she upped the scoring rate significantly. The last four overs went for 51 runs, as Harmanpreet scored her third half-century of the competition – her highest score too – with 11 fours and two sixes. Duffin, who was dismissed off the last ball, scored 33 in 22 balls with two fours and a six.The Thunder’s start wasn’t great either, as they lost Sammy-Jo Johnson and Phoebe Litchfield cheaply, but Mandhana was unstoppable. She got together with Wilson with the scoreboard reading 46 for 2 after 6.1 overs, her own score 33 from 20 balls at that stage. The two batted through to the end, but while she seemed untroubled by anything thrown her way, hitting 14 fours and three sixes in her innings, Wilson didn’t have the same luck, scoring 38 not out from 39 balls from No. 4.Though she ended on the losing side, Mandhana made the WBBL record books – the 114* is now the highest individual score in the history of the competition, joint with Ash Gardner’s 114 off 52 balls for Sydney Sixers against Melbourne Stars back in 2017. This was also the highest women’s T20 score to be on the losing side and first century by a Thunder batter in WBBL history.At the end of what was a fascinating contest, the Renegades got to the top of the table with 18 points from 12 games, while the Thunder were down at seventh place, with eight from 12.Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney shared yet another century stand•Mark Brake/Getty Images
The Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine show rolls on as the pair put together their third century stand of the WBBL season to help Perth Scorchers hold off Adelaide Strikers at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide.Mooney continued her outstanding run of form, making her third consecutive half-century, while Devine made 61 and took 2 for 30, as Strikers fell 12 runs short despite Katie Mack’s 84 not out, her third unbeaten half-century in four games.Mooney and Devine set the game up for Scorchers, sharing a 137-run stand of 16.3 overs. It was their sixth century stand in the last two seasons. Devine was a little slower than usual, striking at just 117 with seven fours and one six before she holed out to cover off Megan Schutt. Mooney was her usual fluent self, scoring 10 boundaries in her 78 from 53 balls. She fell with just 10 balls left in the innings. Heather Graham was promoted to No.3 with Chamari Athapaththu absent for the remainder of the tournament due to international duty. Graham struck two sixes in her 22 from 11 balls to help lift Scorchers to 3 for 177.Strikers were on track in reply despite the early loss of Dane van Niekerk, falling to Marizanne Kapp. Mack and Laura Wolvaardt shared a 90-run stand before Devine made the key breakthrough in the 13th over with Wolvaardt caught brilliantly in the deep by Mathilda Carmichael for 40. It left Strikers needing 79 from 45 balls with eight wickets in hand, but the middle order was unable to support Mack, who was left not out on 84 from 61 balls. Graham and Devine picked up two wickets each.