Perth Scorchers Women (Probable XI): Beth Mooney (wk), Katie Mack, Sophie Devine (c), Mikayla Hinkley, Freya Kemp, Paige Scholfield, Alana King, Chloe Ainsworth, Ruby Strange, Lilly Mills, Amy Edgar
Sydney Thunder Women (Probable XI): Georgia Voll, Tahlia Wilson (wk), Phoebe Litchfield (c), Heather Knight, Chamari Athapaththu, Anika Learoyd, Laura Harris, Lucy Finn, Taneale Peschel, Shabnim Ismail, Sam Bates
Preview by AkshayaKrishna Polya
Sydney Thunder Women take on Perth Scorchers Women at Drummoyne Oval, Sydney, in the 15th match of the ongoing Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) on Wednesday (November 19).
The Thunder are off to the worst possible start and are in the penultimate position on the points table in this eight-team competition after losing a hat-trick of matches.
Recently, the Thunder lost to Sydney Sixers in the Sydney Smash by 24 runs.
Bowling first, Sydney Thunder's bowlers bowled well to restrict the Sixers to 142/9. Veteran seamer Shabnim Ismail picked up three wickets. Georgia Voll took a couple of wickets, while Sam Bates, Chamari Athapaththu and Lucy Finn chipped in with a wicket each.
The mixture of youth and experience didn't turn up with the bat for the Thunder as they fell like a pack of cards and were reeling at 75/8 at one stage. Finn played a brilliant hand down the order and remained unbeaten with her 34-ball 49, and helped her side to avoid an utter embarrassment at home.
The Phoebe Litchfield-led side has made two changes from its last game. Hasrat Gill and all-rounder Ella Briscoe return to the squad, replacing fast bowlers Alex Mavros and Tara French.
On the other hand, the Scorchers have had a mixed start to the season and are fourth on the points table with four points from as many matches, having won and lost two each. They have named an unchanged squad from their last game.
They were on the receiving end against the Sixers and Melbourne Stars. They won comfortably against Brisbane Heat, while getting a bit of help from rain to defeat Adelaide Strikers in their most recent fixture.
Bowling first, the Scorchers skittled out the Strikers for just 112 in 17.4 overs. Skipper Sophie Devine led from the front with a fabulous spell of bowling, scalping three wickets. Ruby Strange took a couple of wickets. Chloe Ainsworth, Lilly Mills, Amy Edgar and Alana King grabbed a wicket each to decimate the Tahlia McGrath-led side.
The Scorchers lost the run machine Beth Mooney in the very first over for a duck. Mikayla Hinkley, too, struggled during her stay in the middle. Katie Mack scored 24 but played 30 balls for that. Skipper Devine was settling down in the middle when the rain halted the play. Perth Scorchers were 55/1 in 9.1 overs when the rain didn't allow any further play. They were ahead by 9 runs on the DLS method, all thanks to plenty of extras gifted by the Strikers.
Can Perth Scorchers continue their winning momentum, or will Sydney Thunder finally manage to open their account? To find out, join us at 12:40 PM IST and 6:10 PM Local Time on Wednesday for its live coverage!
Perth Scorchers Women Squad: Sophie Devine (c), Chloe Ainsworth, Maddy Drake, Amy Edgar, Mikayla Hinkley, Ebony Hoskin, Freya Kemp, Alana King, Katie Mack, Lilly Mills, Beth Mooney (wk), Paige Scholfield, Ruby Strange
Sydney Thunder Women Squad: Phoebe Litchfield (c), Chamari Athapaththu, Sam Bates, Lucy Finn, Ella Briscoe, Hasrat Gill, Laura Harris, Shabnim Ismail, Heather Knight, Anika Learoyd, Taneale Peschel, Georgia Voll, Tahlia Wilson (wk)