Sydney Sixers 5/138 def. Adelaide Strikers 9/121

The Sixers got off to a slow start, with Megan Schutt and Sophie Devine bowling beautifully with the new ball to restrict the Sixers to just 1/9 off four overs. Devine took the big wicket of Alyssa Healy, while Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner looked to be struggling.

Gardner then took 24 runs off the next two overs and never looked back, playing an incredible knock of 72 off 45. She hit six sixes and seemingly managed to heave everything to the leg side boundary. If Adelaide bowled too straight, she dispatched it over long on; if Adelaide bowled too short, she smashed it over square leg.

Devine was re-introduced to the attack and struck straight away, dismissing Perry. With the new batter at the crease, Gardner was starved of the strike, became frustrated and attempted a loose shot which ended her innings. The Strikers bowled well at the death and 138 looked very gettable.

Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates put on 20 for the first wicket, and the Strikers looked to be gathering momentum when Sarah Aley was brought into the attack. Immediately she took the big wicket of Bates which triggered one of the more incredible collapses in recent memory.

Adelaide lost six wickets for just three runs, and Aley had 4/1 at one stage. Panic set in and a couple of rash shots were played, but the accurate bowling of Aley and Kim Garth cannot be underestimated. At 6/23, the Strikers were in all sorts. Aley had broken the game open and it was effectively over.

Tammy Beaumont played her best innings of the season and tried to keep the Strikers afloat, but they didn’t have enough batters to hang around with her to overhaul Syndey’s score.