Perry hits 111 as Sixers qualify by the barest of margins

Ellyse Perry scored a superb century as the star-studded Sydney Sixers found their 'big game DNA' to beat the Adelaide Strikers by one run to qualify to the WBBL 2025 finals week. Perry's 71-ball 111, which made her only the second player to reach 5000 WBBL runs behind Beth Mooney, took the Sixers to 173 for 4. It was a score that nearly fell following a brilliant lower-order blitz from Bridget Patterson (65* off 35) and Amanda-Jade Wellington (31 off 20) but Ash Gardner was able to hold on with her final three balls to eke out victory by the barest of margins.

Gardner began the final over of this virtual quarterfinal with the Strikers needing 18 to win. Patterson took the veteran down for two fours and a six off the first three deliveries, bringing the equation down to a very gettable 4 from 3. Off the fourth delivery, Patterson could only manage a run courtesy a bye. In a dramatic twist of fate, Wellington was bowled off the penultimate ball and then off the final ball, Sophie Ecclestone was run out trying to run a second that would have tied the contest.

The game seemed headed only in one way when the Strikers had been reduced to 86 for 5 in the 14th over with 88 still to get off 39 balls. But Wellington and Patterson turned the game around by plundering 49 off the next three overs. On another day, they should have been able to apply the finishing touches and qualify. But that day wasn't today.

Earlier in the day, the Strikers' opted to chase after winning the toss and watched their opposition's openers, Perry and Sophia Dunkley (54 off 40) stitch a 141-run stand. But as has been a recurring theme in Sixers' season, a wicket led to a wobble and the final four overs brought just 32 runs. Eleanor Larosa was the pick of Strikers' bowlers, taking all four wickets to fall and giving away just 20 from her quota of overs.

Brief scores:Sydney Sixers 173/4 in 20 overs (Ellyse Perry 111, Sophia Dunkley 54; Eleanor Larosa 4-20) beat Adelaide Strikers 172/7 in 20 overs (Bridget Patterson 65*, Amanda-Jade Wellington 31; Ash Gardner 2-30) by 1 run.