Sydney Thunder’s Georgia Voll emerged as the hero in a thrilling seven-wicket victory over Perth Scorchers at the MCG, propelling her team back to the summit of the WBBL standings.
Despite dropping five catches, Thunder’s bowlers managed to restrict Scorchers to 170 for 5, with Beth Mooney leading the charge with a blistering 97 from 64 deliveries. However, Voll stole the show with an unbeaten 97 from 56 balls, guiding Thunder to victory with just one over remaining.
Voll’s innings was a masterclass in power-hitting, featuring 13 fours and a six. It surpassed her previous best of 92 against Adelaide Strikers earlier this month. The 21-year-old attributed her success to taking inspiration from Hobart Hurricanes opener Lizelle Lee’s recent record-breaking performances.
“I watched Lizelle Lee bat the other day and noticed that I’ve been trying to go a little bit hard too early,” Voll said. “I sort of just took my time a little bit more and took the strike off Atha [Chamari Athapaththu] at the start there as well. It was just sort of lucky to come off.”
Voll’s 64-run partnership with Heather Knight proved crucial for Thunder. Knight’s dismissal by Amy Edgar gave Scorchers hope, but Voll remained unyielding, finding support from Anika Learoyd to guide her team home.
Mooney’s innings was equally impressive, despite the dropped catches. She was put down three times before reaching 20 and again after scoring a half-century. Sophie Devine also contributed with 44 runs, but her dismissal by Taneale Peschel and Mooney’s lbw dismissal to Shabnim Ismail in the final over proved costly for Scorchers.
Peschel finished with figures of 3-28, while Ismail claimed 1-32.
