Wolvaardt, Wellington star for Strikers; Mooney-Devine decimate Renegades
Wolvaardt struck 70, and Wellington took three as Strikers managed a comfortable 21-run win
Laura Wolvaardt starred with the bat and Amanda-Jade Wellington with the ball as Adelaide Strikers got their WBBL season off to a winning start at home. The South African opener hit a stroke-filled 70, and other middle order cameos lifted Strikers to an imposing 185/2, before Wellington's 3 for 28 derailed what was, up until then, a solid response from Melbourne Stars. The visitors went down by 21 runs, from a comfortable 77-run opening stand in eight overs.
Put in to bat, Strikers' openers provided a flying start, adding 54 runs inside seven overs before Maia Bouchier was dismissed by Annabel Sutherland for 30 off 21. Wolvaardt anchored the innings with a fluid 70 off 50 deliveries, striking nine boundaries. Following her departure in the 18th over to Kim Garth, captain Tahlia McGrath and Madeline Penna unleashed a late-innings blitz.
McGrath struck an unbeaten 43 off 36 deliveries, while Penna produced an explosive cameo of 36 not out from just 13 balls, hammering four boundaries and three sixes. The pair plundered 42 runs across the final two overs, propelling Adelaide to a daunting target.
In response, the Stars mounted a spirited chase led by an aggressive 77-run opening stand between Meg Lanning (32 off 24) and Rhys McKenna (40 off 31). However, leg-spinner Wellington shifted momentum decisively in the ninth over by trapping Lanning leg-before and bowling No.3 Amy Jones for two in the space of four deliveries. McKenna top-scored with 40, but regular breakthroughs thwarted Melbourne's chase. Naomi Stalenberg kept the contest alive with a handy cameo of 32 in 25, but the required rate took its toll as Sophie Ecclestone (2 for 25) and Eleanor Larosa (2 for 23) applied the squeeze.
Brief scores: Adelaide Strikers 185/2 in 20 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 70, Tahlia McGrath 43*, Madeline Penna 36*; Kim Garth 1-27) beat Melbourne Stars 164/7 in 20 overs (Rhys McKenna 40, Meg Lanning 32; Amanda-Jade Wellington 3-28) by 21 runs
