Sophie Devine has bucked the trend of bowling first, electing to set the Stars a target in the WBBL|11 Knockout
Perth Scorchers have named an unchanged line-up as they bat first against the Melbourne Stars in the Weber WBBL|11 Knockout.
In a tournament where chasing has been overwhelmingly popular at the bat flip – teams elected to bowl first in 35 out of 40 regular-season games – Scorchers skipper Sophie Devine went against the grain at the WACA Ground.
Perth Scorchers XI: Beth Mooney (wk), Katie Mack, Maddy Darke, Sophie Devine (c), Freya Kemp, Paige Scholfield, Chloe Ainsworth, Alana King, Lilly Mills, Ruby Strange, Amy Edgar
Melbourne Stars XI: Meg Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Amy Jones (wk), Annabel Sutherland (c), Maia Bouchier, Danielle Gibson, Kim Garth, Sasha Moloney, Georgia Prestwidge, Maisy Gibson, Sophie Day
Devine pointed to the fact the match was being played on a used pitch as a key factor in the decision, while the Scorchers also won both of their last two matches at home batting first.
Leading into the game, Devine called on the Scorchers supporters to turn out in droves.
“We’ve been trending in the right direction the last couple of weeks, so big game against the Stars for us,” Devine said on Sunday.
“I think the real positive that we can take out of it is that we’re starting to build momentum and that we get to play at home, and these are conditions that we know really well.
“They haven’t played over here this year, so we’ll hopefully really look to exploit that.
“We certainly want to bring a bit of hostility as well towards those Melbourne Stars coming across, so I certainly encourage anyone and everyone to come through the gates.”
The Stars also go in unchanged, as captain Annabel Sutherland reflected on their hectic lead-in to the match.
With finals hosts not locked in until the final ball of Sunday’s final regular-season game, the Stars were scattered across several cross-country flights on Monday as they headed to Perth.
They then had a light training session at the WACA on Monday evening.
“It’s super exciting, the energy is super cool,” Sutherland said at the flip.
“Our management team did a fantastic job (getting everyone here) … everyone just jumped on board, we’re so keen to be here, and you just have to embrace it and here we are.”
The Stars have only featured in WBBL final once before, in 2020, and finished bottom of the table last season, making them hungrier than ever for success.
WBBL|11 finals schedule
The Knockout: Perth Scorchers v Melbourne Stars, WACA Ground (Tuesday, December 9, 7.45pm AEDT)
The Challenger: Sydney Sixers v winner of The Knockout, North Sydney Oval (Thursday, December 11, 7.15pm AEDT)
The Final: Hobart Hurricanes v winner of The Challenger, Ninja Stadium (Saturday, December 13, 7.15pm AEDT)
