Sydney Sixers will be eyeing a fourth win on the trot and a confirmed finals berth when they meet the Melbourne Renegades on Friday
Ashleigh Gardner admits she has been frustrated at a lack of fluency with the bat throughout Weber WBBL|11, but the Sydney Sixers skipper looks to be finding her rhythm at the right time as her club pushes for finals.
Gardner struck 50 from 31 balls on Wednesday to help deliver a crucial win over the Melbourne Stars, leaving the Sixers one win away from confirming their first finals appearance since WBBL|08, and keeping them in the running to finish on top of the table.
It was her first half-century since taking over from Ellyse Perry as Sixers captain this season, with a lack of large scores a source of frustration for Gardner after coming into the tournament off the back of two ODI World Cup hundreds.
“It’s probably the most time I’ve spent out in the middle, probably the most fluent that I’ve felt,” Gardner said on broadcast post-match.
“I’ve been pretty scratchy throughout the tournament which has been super frustrating.
“To spend some time out there in a super important game … they’re all must-wins at the moment to try and get into the finals and then ultimately trying to host a final.
“Speaking with Sophia Dunkley, who had spent a little bit of time out there and her assessing the conditions really quickly and just telling me the best way to go about it (helped).
“For me, it was just trying to get my tempo early my innings, and then if I got balls in the area that I wanted to score, making sure that I was capitalising on that.”
Gardner has been a force with ball in hand this season, sitting third on the wickets table with 14 from seven completed matches, and with both facets of her game are clicking ahead of finals, it is an ominous sign for the Sixers’ rivals.
The Sixers have likewise found their groove after a hit-and-miss start to WBBL|11, winning their last three games on the trot after brushing off a record defeat to Melbourne Stars.
“For us, I think that was probably the closest to the perfect performance for our team,” Gardner said,
“Up until today, we’d had some pretty scrappy wins, and they’re the ones that build that character in the change room, but today felt like a more complete performance.
“So, to reflect on that, knowing that we have won five games and we haven’t played that amazing game yet, but today was probably trending in the right direction, and knowing that we’ve got two huge games to finish against two very good teams … fingers crossed, we finished the way that we would like.”
The Sixers had little time to soak up Thursday’s win before boarding a flight to Melbourne, where they’ll meet a Renegades outfit scrapping to stay alive in WBBL|11 on Friday morning.
A win there will cement the Sixers’ spot in the top four, and if they finish off with another victory over Adelaide Strikers on Sunday, they’ll lock in a top-two finish. To claim top spot and the direct path to the final, however, they’ll need the Hurricanes to drop their own clash with the Strikers on Friday night.
Sydney Sixers squad v Renegades: Ashleigh Gardner (c), Caoimhe Bray, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Lauren Cheatle, Sophia Dunkley, Alyssa Healy, Elsa Hunter, Amelia Kerr, Lauren Kua, Emma Mannix-Geeves, Ellyse Perry, Mady Villiers
The Renegades, who have faded after a promising start to their title defence, need a lot to fall in their favour to make the top four, and have made two changes to their squad to meet the Sixers.
English batter Davina Perrin comes back into their gameday squad alongside quick Sara Kennedy, replacing Issy Wong and Charis Bekker.
The match will also mark Renegades wicketkeeper-batter Nicole Faltum’s WBBL appearance.
Melbourne Renegades squad v Sixers: Sophie Molineux (c), Alice Capsey, Sarah Coyte, Emma de Broughe, Deandra Dottin, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Milly Illingworth, Sara Kennedy, Davina Perrin, Naomi Stalenberg, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb
Weber WBBL|11 Standings
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Ties
T
No results
N/R
Net Run Rate
NRR
Deductions
Ded.
Total points
PTS
1
HUR
9
7
2
0
0
0.662
0
14
2
STA
9
5
3
0
1
0.863
0
11
3
SIX
8
5
2
0
1
-0.157
0
11
4
SCO
9
5
4
0
0
-0.189
0
10
5
STR
8
3
3
0
2
0.097
0
8
6
REN
9
4
5
0
0
-0.067
0
8
7
THU
9
3
5
0
1
-0.296
0
7
8
HEA
9
0
8
0
1
-0.944
0
1
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points
