WBBL 2018 Final: Sydney Sixers trash Perth Scorchers to retain their title

After some exuberating action and entertainment, the Women’s Big League 2017-18 comes to an end. It is the Sydney Sixers who have yet again displayed their dominance in the third edition of the league. They have clinched the glorious WBBL title for the second time consecutively. The Defending Champions beat the Perth Scorchers in the finals by 9 wickets to retain their title, in a rather one-sided encounter.

The Sydney Sixers also dominated the league stage of WBBL and concluded as the table toppers with 20 points to their name. They won 10 out of the 14 games that they played displaying their superiority in WBBL. The Perth Scorchers also had a good tournament as they ended third on the points table with 16 points. The Perth-based side also looked good in the first semifinal game when they beat the Sydney Thunder Women team by 27 runs.

No respite for the Perth Scorchers in the finals

In the final at the iconic Adelaide Oval, the Perth Scorchers Women opted to bat first after winning the toss. However, they didn’t look comfortable at any stage of the innings. They lost their skipper Elyse Villani in just the 7th over of the game. Villani looked good initially with three beautiful boundaries although she scored her runs at a slow clip. They lost their other opener Nicole Bolton within the next four balls leaving them in further troubles.

The Scorchers middle order didn’t manage to put up a fight and they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Not a single member of the team managed to cross the 20-run mark. After the openers were back in the hut early, the Scorchers lost their next two batswomen in the next two overs sinking them in further sorrow. Although Thamsyn Newton and Heather Graham got off to a decent start in their innings, they failed to capitalize on it and queued back to the pavilion.

Their top performance in the innings came from Piepa Cleary, a bowler who played a quick little cameo towards the end. He scored 18 runs off 14 balls ensuring that they reach close to the 100-run mark. The Scorchers were bowled out at 99 runs on the last ball of their innings when wicketkeeper Emily Smith was run out. Sarah Coyte was the top performer with the ball for Sydney Sixers picking up three wickets in the game.

As easy a chase for the Sydney Sixers Women

Chasing just 100 runs in the big finals, the Sydney Sixers Women looked very comfortable in the second innings. Their wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy, who is Mitchell Starc’s wife took them off to a flyer scoring 41 runs off 32 deliveries including five boundaries and a big six. Their skipper Ellyse Perry played the second fiddle to Healy and looked very composed throughout the innings.

Perry in the company of Ashleigh Gardener ensured that they accomplish the chase without losing any wickets further. Perry took her time out there in the middle and scored 36 runs off 42 balls. In this partnership too, she wasn’t the aggressor. Gardener took the bowlers on and scored a quick-fire 22 runs off just 16 deliveries. Her innings included two fours and a maximum.

Ellyse Perry finished the innings off with one of the best shots of the match. Perry hit a beautiful boundary to seal the match off for the Sydney Sixers. She tailored the gap between two fielders to perfection through the covers. The Sixers were thrilled with the victory and celebrated hard. Sarah Coyte who was the top performer with the ball was awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ for her figures of 3/17 in her four overs.

Brief Scores

Perth Scorchers: 99/10 in 20 Overs (Piepa Cleary 18(14)*, Elyse Villani 16(29), S Coyte 3/17)

Sydney Sixers: 100/1 in 15 Overs (Alyssa Healy 41(32), Ellyse Perry 36(42), Emma King 1/26)