Villani shines in a rain-affected match as the Hurricanes secure their first win

Hobart Hurricanes Marked first victory in the 2023 WBBL season on their third attempt with a seven-wicket win over the Adelaide Stirkers in a rain-affected encounter at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field. The game was shortened to eight overs per side due to rain. The strikers posted a total of 74/1, but this proved inadequate as Else Vilani’s unbeaten 39 from 24 balls, including six boundaries, propelled the Hurricanes to victory in seven overs.

The Strikers has a solid start with Katie Mack hitting a couple of boundaries in the opening over against Molly Strano. However, the innings had some quieter overs until Laura Wolvaart struck a six of Amy Smith in the fifth over, with Mack adding two more fours. Despite Mack’s run-out in the final over, Wolvardt’s boundary off Heather Graham helped the Strikers finish their inning on a positive note.

In the chase, Elyse Vilani got off to a strong with two boundaries in the first over. Megan Schutt bowled tightly in the second over, conceding only four runs. Lizelle Lee played an agresive role, smashing several sixes, before being dismissed for a quick 21 off 9 balls. With Vilani striking three fours off Anesu Mushangwe, the Hurricanes reduced the required runs to 12 of 12 balls. While Schutt removedd Bryony, Villani managed a four in the same over and also collected three runs, leaving 12 runs required of 12 balls. Despite Danielle Gibson’s wicket of Graham, Ruth Johnston sealed the victory with two consecutive fours, and the Hurricanes won with an over to spare. 

Brief Score: Adelaide Strikers 74/1 in 8 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 35*, Katie Mack 32) lost to Hobart Hurricane 76/3 in 7 overs (Elyse Vilani 39*, Lizelle Lee 21; Georgia Adams 1-13) by 7 wickets.

Meanwhile, the Brisbane Heat continued their impressive form, securing their fourth consecutive win with a dominant performance against the Melbourne Stars. The Heat started strongly, scoring 49 runs in the powerplay. However, the Stars managed to take two quick wickets to slow down the scoring rate, and Mignon du Preez struggled to find her rhythm. Alice Capsey further troubled the Heat by dismissing du Preez and Bess Heath, leaving the Heat at 99/5.

Georgia Voll, who joined the action in the latter part of the sixth over, witnessed the wickets falling at the other end as the Heat’s momentum dwindled. However, things changed dramatically in the final overs as Charli Knott provided a much-needed boost, scoring 31 off just 14 balls, while Voll remained unbeaten on 48, guiding the Heat to a total of 150.

Knott also made a significant impact with the ball, dismissing Sophie Dunkley for just 1. The Heat’s bowlers continued to make inroads into the Stars’ middle order, reducing them to 79/5. From the top six, only Capsey managed to reach double digits as she compiled a crucial half-century. Kim Garth attempted to keep the Stars in the game with an unbeaten 45, but their efforts fell short as they finished 13 runs behind the target.

Brief scores: Brisbane Heat Women 150/6 in 20 overs (Georgia Voll 48*, Charli Knott 31; Annabel Sutherland 2/19) beat Melbourne Stars Women 137/7 in 20 overs (Alice Capsey 52, Kim Garth 45*; Charli Knott 2/13) by 13 runs.