The Hobart Hurricanes lost to the Melbourne Renegades by four wickets in the Weber WBBL|12 due to one of cricket’s rarely used regulations. In a thrilling match on Wednesday night in Hobart, scores were tied at 154 runs apiece with one ball left in the Renegades’ run chase. The last delivery was taken by wicketkeeper Lizelle Lee, stepping up to the stumps after Renegade batter Deandra Dottin missed it.
The cornerstone of the Renegades’ chase was West Indies international Hayley Matthews, who delivered a knock that kept her team in the hunt all along. The best bowler for the Hurricanes was Sophie Molineux, who consistently put pressure on the Renegades’ middle order with scores of 4 for 22. In the 20 overs they were given, the Hobart Hurricanes had scored 7 for 154.
The Hurricanes lost two wickets in the first four overs and managed just 20 runs during the powerplay due to their early caution. They made a steady comeback, hitting 100 by the fifteenth over, and then added 54 runs in the last five overs to reach a competitive total of 155.
In Hobart’s innings, Henry hit 36 off 18 balls, but he hobbled off the field with a possible hip injury after bowling just one over that cost 14 runs. As her countryman Matthews overpowered Hobart’s bowlers with a sophisticated knock full of eight boundaries, Henry left. Before late surprises, the Renegades were ahead thanks to Matthews and Courtney Webb (29 from 25).
Despite losing an early wicket, the Renegades got off to a fast start, scoring 33 runs in the first four overs. With eight fours in her half-century off just 33 balls, Matthews put the Renegades in a strong position at 100 in 12.1 overs. Courtney Webb, who scored 29 from 25 balls, offered vital support. To keep the chase moving forward, Matthews and Webb combined for 50 runs off 33 balls. But during the second power surge, the Renegades lost steam, scoring just 17 runs and losing two more wickets.
