The Hobart Hurricanes defeated the Melbourne Stars by eight wickets, with Lizelle Lee leading the way with an unbeaten 77 runs off 49 deliveries. Lee also completed three stumpings in the field during the match. The Hurricanes easily chased down the Stars’ disappointing total of 121, with 23 balls to spare thanks to an unbroken 99-run partnership between Lee and Nicola Carey, who finished on 38 not out.
Lee’s dominant performance with the bat included four sixes and she was in superb form, hitting the ball all around the ground. Stars captain Meg Lanning played a classy cameo at the top of the order but fell for 27 off 19. The Stars struggled to get going with their batting, with several batters failing to kick on after reaching 20.
The Hurricanes, who had been sloppy in the field in their previous match, were much improved this time around and bowled tightly, taking their catches. Five bowlers were among the wickets, with spin bowler Molly Strano taking 3 for 20 to help clean up the Stars’ innings.
The win helped the Hurricanes keep their flickering WBBL finals hopes alive as they moved to nine points on the ladder, just four points behind fourth-placed Sydney Thunder.
