Sydney Thunder’s impressive batting performance, led by Heather Knight and Chamari Athapaththu, and Hannah Darlington’s effective bowling helped them avenge their earlier WBBL loss to Hobart Hurricanes.
Despite a 31-run defeat in Hobart three days prior, Thunder emerged victorious in a rain-affected match at North Sydney Oval, winning by 33 runs. The match was reduced to 17 overs per side due to a 30-minute delay.
Athapaththu (38 off 29) and Knight (48 off 28) played crucial roles in Thunder’s total of 146 for 5. Hurricanes made a strong start, scoring 18 runs off the first seven balls, but their momentum was halted as they lost five wickets for just 13 runs in the final overs.
Darlington claimed the key wickets of Lizelle Lee and Heather Graham, while Athapaththu contributed with the ball, taking 1 for 11 off three overs and dismissing England’s Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
Knight, who missed the first encounter between the teams, showcased her class with some elegant shots, particularly during the power surge over bowled by Molly Strano. She struck 14 runs off the last three balls, including a six over long off and two fours.
Athapaththu, who had been dismissed for a first-ball duck in the previous match, was dropped at deep midwicket on 5. She went on to hit sixes over deep midwicket and long off before being caught by Strano off her own bowling.
In response, Lee started aggressively, hitting boundaries off the first two balls of Hurricanes’ chase. However, Thunder’s bowlers fought back, with Athapaththu having Wyatt-Hodge caught at backward point. Nicola Carey, who had scored a half-century in the previous game, was dismissed by Shabnim Ismail.
Lee was adjudged lbw after the mid-innings break, but replays showed she would have been reprieved if she had used DRS. A 43-run partnership between Graham and Elyse Villani gave Hurricanes hope, but their dismissals in successive overs triggered a collapse.
