In a rain-shortened game, Renegades’ batsman hit 34 not out off 18 balls to secure the victory against the defending WBBL winners. Scorchers do not make the finals.
Melbourne Renegades 4 for 58 (Kershaw 34*, Mills 3-9) beat Perth Scorchers 2 for 46 (Devine 24*, Ismail 1-12) by 6 wickets (DLS method)
In an eight-over-a-side rain-delayed match in Moe, left-hander Erica Kershaw of the Melbourne Renegades put an end to the Perth Scorchers’ dreams of winning consecutive WBBL championships.
After falling to 4 for 15 in the fourth over, Kershaw smashed 34 not out off only 18 balls to assist Renegades chase down a Duckworth-Lewis-Stern adjusted goal of 57 with six wickets in hand and three balls to spare. Just one year after winning the championship with a very identical team, the loss means the Scorchers will place fifth on the table and miss the finals.
All eight teams were playing their final qualifying game of the season, so even if Scorchers had won, other outcomes would have needed to go their way for them to remain in the race. After Lilly Mills took 3 for 9, including two in the opening over of the chase, the Scorchers took control of the match. Both Hayley Matthews and Chamari Athapaththu hid out while attempting to attack the offspinner. In the third over, when Josephine Dooley was bowled by Alana King, she also claimed Courtney Webb, leaving Renegades in serious difficulty.
However, Kershaw played a bold knock, smashing two sixes and five fours. She targeted the spinners with draw strokes and slog sweeps around midwicket to force her way to the objective. In a 44-run unbroken stand, Carly Leeson offered reliable assistance at the other end.
Rain earlier cut short Scorchers’ innings after the game was first changed to a 16-over-a-side contest because of a soggy outfield. Following the early losses of Beth Mooney and Maddy Green, the Scorchers were cruising at 2 for 46, with Sophie Devine and Marizanne Kapp just starting to heat up. Ella Hayward had Mooney out for a first-ball duck, and Shabnim Ismail had castled Green in the fourth over. However, rain stopped play before the Scorchers could get any speed, ending the innings and leaving them to chase a revised goal of 57. With four victories from 14 games, the Renegades placed seventh, while the Scorchers ended the season in fifth place.
