Perth Scorchers 108 (Hinkley 32, King 23, Capsey 5-25) beat Melbourne Renegades 106 for 8 (Dottin 40, King 3-23, Ainsworth 2-18, Devine 2-22) by two runs
Alana King's all-round contributions proved decisive in a low-scoring thriller at the WACA as hosts Perth Scorchers completed a two-run win over Melbourne Renegades while defending only 108.
King first scored a crucial 15-ball 23 for the Scorchers from No. 8 amid a batting collapse triggered by the Renegades pair of Milly Illingworth and Hayley Matthews (2 for 15 apiece). Alice Capsey then ran through the tail to claim her career-best figures of 5 for 25 while skittling the Scorchers for 108.
However, the Renegades' batting failed to complement their bowling effort, losing wickets through their innings. Needing 15 runs off the last three overs - 11 off two overs and eight off the final six balls - they failed to hit a single boundary and finished their innings on 106 for 8.
The pressure was put on Renegades early in the chase by seamer Chloe Ainsworth when she dismissed opener Courtney Webb and first-down Capsey for first-ball ducks in the first over. Sophie Devine and King then accounted for Naomi Stalenberg and Matthews respectively, and when Amy Edgar removed Georgia Wareham cheaply too, Renegades were 47 for 5 in the ninth over.
Deandra Dottin counterattacked with a 27-ball 40 that included three fours and three sixes from No. 6 to lift the Renegades briefly, but King sent her back for the second of her three wickets. King also removed Illingworth in the 18th over to finish with 3 for 23.
Tasked with defending 10 runs off the last two overs, Edgar and Ebony Hoskin closed out the game for the Scorchers, conceding only eight singles. Sarah Coyte, who finished unbeaten on a 31-ball 21, needed three for a tie or a boundary for a win off the final ball, but Hoskin kept the last delivery down to just one.
Sydney Thunder 170 for 5 (Knight 59*, Litchfield 40, Jonassen 3-22) beat Brisbane Heat 151 (Knott 55, G Harris 41, Bates 4-25) by 19 runs
England captain Heather Knight cracked an unbeaten half-century and Sam Bates snared 4 for 25 to lead Sydney Thunder to a 19-run WBBL victory over Brisbane Heat at the WACA Ground.
Knight, Phoebe Litchfield, and Chamari Athapaththu, all fired to lift the Thunder to a formidable 170 for 5. In reply, Charli Knott and Grace Harris threatened to pull off the run chase, but the Heat were eventually bowled out for 151 after Bates weaved her magic.
After being sent in to bat, Thunder were 13 for 0 in the third over when Georgia Voll was dropped by Laura Harris on 2. Voll would go on to score 22, but more importantly she combined with Athapaththu for a quick-fire 52-run opening stand to give Thunder the perfect platform to launch.
Athapaththu and Litchfield cracked seven boundaries apiece, and Knight went into overdrive later in the innings as Heat's bowlers struggled to contain the star-studded battling line-up.
Heat spinner Jess Jonassen was superb with 3 for 22 from her four overs, and Shikha Pandey was economical. But the rest of the bowlers struggled, with Grace Parsons and Nadine de Klerk copping the brunt of the punishment.
Heat needed to make a fast start to their run chase, and opener Grace Harris received three slices of luck during her blistering knock. She was on 5 when she gloved a spinning Bates delivery through to the keeper. The appeal was turned down, and Thunder decided not to review it, but replays showed it clearly came off her glove. Harris was then dropped on 26 and 32, but was eventually out when she was caught in the deep from a Taneale Peschel full toss.
Knott cracked six fours and a six to notch her maiden WBBL half-century and give Heat a chance, but their victory hopes came crumbling down when she was bowled by Bates who now has 12 wickets from four games in what has been a sizzling start to the season for the 28-year-old.
"I don't know if there's a real secret behind [my form]. It's nice to be contributing finally," Bates told Fox Cricket. "I had a pretty ordinary season last year, so I reflected quite a bit on that. I changed some little things and they're paying off, which is nice."
