The Adelaide Strikers have warmed up for next week’s WBBL final with a comfortable 77 run win over the Hobart Hurricanes who needed a colossal victory to give themselves an outside chance of sneaking into the top four.
Sunday’s result was the perfect tune-up for the Strikers who now get to rest up before they host the final on Saturday at the Adelaide Oval where they’ll have the chance to become just the third team to win back-to-back WBBL titles.
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The defending champions have won five matches in a row and look to be in ominous touch after their big guns all fired at the SCG.
Classy opener Laura Wolvaardt set the tone with the bat, hitting a stylish 73 off 65 before she departed in the final over as the Strikers reached 3/164.
Bridget Patterson (26 not out off 12) added the late fireworks with a couple of sixes while skipper Tahlia McGrath chimed in with 22 and then starred with the ball, claiming two wickets with her first two deliveries to rip through Hobart’s middle order.
The Strikers will be the raging favourites having won 11 of their 14 regular season matches, with speedster Darcie Brown set to return after she was rested for Sunday’s game following a successful comeback from a hamstring injury.
HURRICANES BLOWN AWAY
Three wins in a row had Hurricanes fans dreaming of a miracle, but it was always going to be a long shot needing to smash the ladder leaders and then hoping for the Thunder to lose the Sydney Smash.
They made the right call to bowl first but a lack of early wickets had them on the back foot from the outset which left their top order way too much to do.
Opener Lizelle Lee was unable to replicate her recent heroics with the bat and it was downhill from there as none of their batters reached 15 in a paltry total of 87.
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