MR-W vs PS-W | Twitter in awe as all-round Sophie Devine powers Scorchers to clinical four-wicket win

Sophie Devine defied age to lead from the front in Perth Scorchers’ four-wicket win over Melbourne Renegades in the Women’s Big Bash League in Melbourne on Thursday. The visitors skipper picked up two wickets to apply the brakes on Renegades’ innings before smashing a 24-ball 46 during the run chase to allow her side remain fourth in the points table with a crucial win.

After being put into bat at the Junction Oval, the Renegades had a quiet start before losing opener Courtney Webb in the fourth over. However, boundaries from captain Sophie Molineux and fellow opener Emma de Broughe ensured that the home side ended the powerplay at 30/1. But Molineux’s counterpart Sophie Devine got the better of her in the next over before sending back de Borughe a ball later to trigger the Renegades’ collapse. The home side slipped from 31/1 to 50/4 in the gap of three overs, with cameos from Georgia Wareham (21) and Deandra Dottin (12) taking the side close to the 100-run mark. But with more than seven overs remaining and seven wickets down, the batting side was badly in need of a partnership that could help them post a challenging total. Nicole Faltum and Sarah Coyte did just that, adding 46 runs for the eighth wicket before the home side were bowled out for 150 in the last ball of the innings. The wicketkeeper-batter hit six fours and remained unbeaten on 41 off 28 balls, while Coyte did her part with an 18-ball 24. Medium pacer Chloe Ainsworth was the pick among the Scorchers’ bowlers with a spell of 2/17 in four overs, with captain Devine and Amy Edgar also picking up two wickets apiece.

In return, Devine showed intent from the word go, hitting Charis Bekker for a boundary in her first ball before moving to her off side to slog sweep the left-arm spinner for a maximum a ball later. The New Zealand all-rounder, then, took on pacer Issy Wong, smashing three boundaries in her first over before welcoming Molineux into the attack with a six and a four. The visitors went past the 50-run mark inside four overs, courtesy of the skipper’s exploits, who hit six fours and two sixes before holing out in the deep in the sixth over. Once she departed, fellow opener Beth Mooney took over, dropping anchor with the required rate falling below sevn an over. The left-handed batter, who started shakily, made an assured knock of 41 from 31 balls, which included four boundaries. But her dismissal to Alice Capsey triggered a panic-inducing collapse as the visitors shockingly dropped from 116/3 to 118/6, with the off-spinner picking up three in a single over. However, Freya Kemp and Lilly Mills held their nerves to stitch together an unbeaten stand of 33 runs to take the side over the line in the penultimate over. Kemp had a four and a six in her 14-ball 18, while Mills chipped in with 15 off 16 balls to help the Scorchers end at 151/6, with eight balls to spare. Though, Capsey’s extraordinary spell of 4/14 in three overs gave the home side some hope, they were punished for not putting enough runs on the board.

Lol

Pressure

Big one

Crucial

Yup

Wow

Interesting

Fine one

Enough?

Too good