Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars: 5 facts from Ellyse Perry’s 84 guiding a one-run WBBL win at Junction Oval
Sydney Sixers edged Melbourne Stars by one run in Weber WBBL|12 Match 12 at Junction Oval on Friday, 6 November. Ellyse Perry’s unbeaten 84 set up a total of 160 for 5, and Sarah Coyte defended it in the final over as the Stars finished on 159 for 7.
Ellyse Perry’s 84 accounts for more than half the total
Ellyse Perry finished 84 not out from 57 balls, hitting 13 fours and one six at a strike rate of 147.37. She was named Player of the Match after the Sixers won the toss and batted. Her contribution alone was more than half of Sydney’s 160. Notably, Perry was only three days past her 36th birthday. The innings gave the Sixers a competitive total on a ground where both sides struggled for momentum at times.
Early wobble before Ashleigh Gardner and Erin Burns rebuild
Sophia Dunkley fell for 1 and Amelia Kerr for 3 as the Sixers slipped to 25 for 2. Captain Ashleigh Gardner then made 34 from 23 balls, including one four and two sixes, before Charlie Dean had her stumped. Erin Burns added 29 from 21 before a run-out on the final ball. Alice Capsey managed only 3. Gardner was dismissed at 92 for 3 and Capsey at 98 for 4, after which Burns and Perry pushed the total to 160.
Stars lose a wicket first ball and slide early
Chasing 161, Rhys McKenna was bowled by Lauren Cheatle for a golden duck. Meg Lanning went lbw to Kerr for 2. Annabel Sutherland made 22 before falling caught Dunkley bowled Perry, and Amy Jones scored 28. The Stars were four down for 62 inside nine overs, leaving them needing a substantial recovery.
Late surge falls one short as Coyte finishes the job
Dani Gibson (31 from 20) and Georgia Prestwidge (21 not out from 13) dragged Melbourne deep into the chase. The Stars needed 11 from the last 10 balls with four wickets in hand, then eight from Coyte’s final over. Gibson was caught in the deep with seven needed off four. Prestwidge managed only two off the last ball as Perry fielded cleanly to stop overthrows. Stars closed at 159 for 7. Coyte finished with 1 for 27 overall, including 1 for 6 in that last over.
Sixers stay perfect; Perry contributes with bat and ball
Ellyse Perry also bowled one over for 5 and took Sutherland’s wicket. Cheatle’s new-ball spell included the golden duck, while Kerr, Gardner, Frankie Nicklin and Coyte each took a wicket. The result left the Sixers 3-0 atop the Weber WBBL|12 table, with the Stars at 1-3 after the Junction Oval chase came up just short.
The one-run margin highlighted how little separated the sides once the late surge began, yet the Sixers held their nerve to maintain a perfect start.
