If she doesn’t get you with the bat, she will with the ball.
Marizanne Kapp has edged the Melbourne Stars closer to a WBBL finals return after another cracking cameo against the Hobart Hurricanes at Junction Oval.
Kapp revived the Stars with a brilliant and unbeaten 93 with the bat on Sunday before slimming the Hurricanes’ hopes of cementing top spot with crucial early wickets on Wednesday.
Kapp dismissed the dangerous Lizelle Lee first ball of the innings as well as the talented Danielle Wyatt-Hodge in her second over.
Kim Garth said Kapp eased the nerves of the Stars by dismissing Lee cheaply.
“I was pretty relieved, (Lee) is obviously hitting them pretty well and we know the damage she can do,” Garthb said.
“We did a lot of planning for her and when ‘Kappy’ comes in and knocks her over first ball, it’s quite nice, so no complaints from me.”
The South African failed to fire with the bat in the first innings but had a reasonable total to defend after Amy Jones (59) and Danielle Gibson (39) guided the Stars to 6-151.
Jones crunched six fours and one six while Gibson found the rope five times and cleared it once.
Natalie Sciver-Brunt (27 off 21 balls) recovered the visitors after Kapp’s hot start but she became the first to fall in an awful Hurricanes collapse.
Kapp bowled her first three overs upfront for a return of 2-16 but was still in the game, taking a terrific catch in the outfield.
Off-spinner Sophie Day finished Kapp’s work with four wickets as the Hurricanes were dismissed for 114 in the 17th over.
The win sets up one of the more exciting Melbourne derby’s of recent memory against the Renegades on Saturday as both teams prepare for assaults on the finals.
Unfortunately for the Stars and their in-form all-rounder, the match against the Renegades will be Kapp’s last before she departs.
UNLUCKY LANNING
She couldn’t have picked the fielder out any better.
The Melbourne Stars lost the big wicket of champion batter Meg Lanning two balls into the power surge after she held out to deep point.
It was a somewhat of an unlucky dismissal for Lanning, who would have been lauded for the stroke had it been hit 10 metres either side of Hurricane Rachel Trenaman.
Lanning (26) had put on 52 runs with No. 3 Amy Jones (59) at the time and was building towards another strong score.
The dismissal turned into a double blow for the Stars after captain Annabel Sutherland was removed cheaply shortly after.
The right-hander has been in spectacular form so far this WBBL, hitting scores of 60, 90no, 3, 135 and 13 before Wednesday’s innings at Junction Oval.
