Perth Scorchers had to dig deep into their batting stocks but have survived a scare from Sydney Thunder to remain unbeaten halfway through the season.
The four-wicket victory at the WACA Ground was the side’s fifth on the bounce. It will be a huge belief builder for the women in orange, who triumphed without Australian superstar Beth Mooney, who missed with quad tightness, or any of the big names catching alight.
Instead, it took a full team effort to chase down 160 as six batters reached double figures.
Sophie Devine and Katie Mack combined for an 81-run stand early, but both rode their luck before falling in the 30s.
It left the side’s middle-order, which has been shaky at times, 74 runs to get and with imports Freya Kemp and Fatima Sana adding just 10 runs between them, it was locals Mikayla Friday, Chloe Piparo and Chloe Ainsworth who guided the Scorchers through the nervy final stages.
“Not many times you get to start off 5-0 and I haven’t been in a team that’s done that so it’s a really good accolade,” Friday said.
“If we can stay really level we’re going to go a long way.”
Ines McKeon had big shoes to fill at the top of the order in Mooney’s slot, and she made a big first impression hitting her opening delivery over the rope.
But she was trapped lbw the very next ball.
The Scorchers’ hopes were nearly extinguished as Devine nicked one to gully, but it was put down by Laura Harris with Perth’s skipper on 10.
The all-rounder rode her luck again on 21 as a thick outside edge lobbed between two fielders.
Mack survived a tight stumping chance as the keeper dropped the ball off the seamer, but the opener quietly began to re-find her touch after a tough start to the season.
Devine had enough of giving half chances, ramping up her belligerent striking.
However, after a big six, Nadine de Klerk took revenge, bowling the Kiwi superstar on 37.
When Mack fell caught and bowled for 31 to a Jemma Barsby full toss just balls later, the home side were wobbling.
Kemp fell for 10, caught at point cutting, and Friday took it as permission to take over her role as a basher.
She put Barsby over the fence, but just as she looked like taking the game away from Sydney, she panicked after a string of dot balls and ran herself out, even with a keeper fumble.
Sana went without scoring, but Piparo showed all of her experience as she got the job done, unbeaten on 20.
Earlier, Friday took the gloves in place of Mooney, and was in the game from the first over of the match as Ainsworth removed Georgia Voll with steepling bounce.
The Scorchers’ squeeze was in full effect after eight overs with the visitors 2-45; however, veteran English import Heather Knight and Anika Learoyd were paid handsomely for investing balls early in their innings.
By the end of the 11th, they’d moved the total to 2-75 and launched the Power Surge in the 14th with a perfect platform as Knight continued to penetrate the square boundaries.
She brought up her half century with a sweep for four against Alana King as they took 21 off the Surge.
Learoyd dropped the hammer on Lilly Mills next over, bringing up the 100-run partnership with a four through mid-wicket and a big maximum over the fielder at deep mid-on.
Knight followed suit as Perth struggled to bring the innings back under control, bowling both sides of the wicket as the total rocketed towards 150.
King finally broke through for the home side, slipping one through Knight and into middle stump with the Englishwoman on 71.
Learoyd fell to the competition’s leading wicket-taker, Devine, for 53 next over, and the double blow hampered the Thunder’s closing overs as they finished 5-159.
