Sealed with a six: Peerless Perry stars to bag home final for Sixers

It was the Ellyse Perry show from start to finish and her Sydney Sixers opening partner Alyssa Healy was the first to acknowledge it.

Perry produced some vintage ‘super over’ heroics with the bat to snatch the Sixers a pulsating semi-final win over the Melbourne Renegades and secure a first home final against the Brisbane Heat.

Superstar: Ellyse Perry hits a six to win the game and send the Sixers into the Women’s Big Bash League final.Credit:AAP

After Marizanne Kapp limited the Renegades to six runs in the first super over, she smashed a six on the fourth ball of the return over to beat the Renegades with two balls to spare at Drummoyne Oval.

‘‘This WBBL, we may as well re-name it ‘The Ellyse Perry Show’, because she’s showing everybody how to play cricket at the moment and it’s great to be on her side,’’ Healy said. ‘‘You know that she’s going to give 110 per cent where she can and to take the last over, gutsy call, she could have been really tired. Full credit to her, she’s an unbelievable athlete and hopefully she can get us over the line next week, too.’’

It was a case of deja vu with some sweet vengeance mixed in for the Sixers, who last season lost to the Victorians in Geelong in the same super over scenario.

No such let-down this time, with Perry’s star shining through. The Australian all-rounder scored 54 not out for the Sixers in the opening innings, took one wicket and was everywhere in the field, running out Amy Satterthwaite and taking a magnificent catch to send Jess Duffin to the sheds at a crucial point in the match.

The win means they will host the Heat at Drummoyne Oval next Saturday in the first-ever stand-alone WBBL final.

Although the Sixers have played in all three finals to date, winning the past two, they have never played a final at home.

‘‘It’s really special to finally have a stand-alone WBBL final and to manage to snag a home one is something really special,’’ Healy said. ‘‘One thing this group will really cherish, it’s something we’ve been working towards over the last few years and to finally see it come true is special.

Dynamic duo: Alyssa Healy and Perry react after winning the super over.Credit:AAP

"We would have liked the crosstown rivals [the Thunder] and a Sydney derby final but you can’t pick and choose, we’ll do our homework against the Heat this week and come out all guns blazing next Saturday.’’

The Sixers scored 131 runs but had to push past some top order havoc to do so, with Healy and Erin Burns dismissed for one each and Ashleigh Gardner for four.

Sara McGlashan fell next, caught by Sophie Molineux, but Perry dug in and found a stable partner in Dane Van Niekerk, the pair notching a partnership worth 98 runs that left the former unbeaten on 54 and the latter on 51. The Sixers then turned the tables on the Victorians, at one point having the Renegades on the rack at 3-19.

Unstoppable: The Sixers celebrate the wicket of Emma Inglis taken by – who else? – Ellyse Perry.Credit:AAP

Perry was omnipresent, bowling Emma Inglis for a duck and joyfully taking a catch to dismiss the Renegades’ best batter, Jess Duffin, who looked to have settled in on 41 runs from 34 balls.

Perry took the final over, with Melbourne needing 13 runs off six to win. Chasing two on Perry’s last ball, it took a few minutes and replays to find Burns successfully pulled the ball up short of the boundary before Molineux was run out by Healy, tying the scores at 131 runs and sending the match to the super over, where Perry’s class shone.

Source: Read Full Article