A career-best performance from Sammy-Jo Johnson with bat and ball has helped the Brisbane Heat to thump the Sydney Sixers by 66 runs and move to within one win of top spot on the WBBL ladder.
On Sunday afternoon, Johnson thumped 51 off 30 balls – her first WBBL half- century – in the Heat's 7-154, before snaring 3-23 with the ball as the Sixers were skittled for just 88 at Sydney's Hurstville Oval.
Hitting out: Sammy-Jo Johnson en route to her maiden Women's Big Bash League half-century.Credit:AAP
"Batting at No.3 is something new for me," Johnson said.
"I'm enjoying the challenge of scoring as many runs as I can, as quickly as possible at the top of the order. I'm having a lot of fun with it."
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The Brisbane allrounder deposited Sixers captain Ellyse Perry's first two deliveries for big sixes and put on 40 in quick time with Jess Jonassen (40) for the fourth wicket.
Erin Burns (3-20) was the pick of the bowlers for the Sixers who struggled to contain the Heat batters before wilting badly with the bat.
Alyssa Healy suffered a brain fade and departed for a golden duck, lobbing the first ball of the innings from Jonassen to Laura Wolvaart who pouched a sitter at mid-on, and the Sixers never recovered.
They slumped to 4-25 which became 5-34 after eight overs when Perry, starved of the strike and struggling for timing, was lbw to Jemma Barsby (2-17) for just two off 11 balls in a rare failure.
South African skipper Dane van Niekerk top-scored with 25 but it was in vain for the Sixers whose five-match winning streak was broken emphatically.
Meanwhile, Sophie Devine produced a magical all-round display to steer the Adelaide Strikers to a 19-run victory over the Melbourne Stars.
The New Zealand all-rounder smashed 95 off just 60 balls on Sunday afternoon to dominate the Strikers total of 3-172, before capturing a career-best 5-41 to help reduce the Stars to 9-153 in reply at Adelaide Oval.
All-rounder: Sophie Devine starred in the Strikers' win over the Stars.Credit:AAP
Stars opener Lizelle Lee greeted Devine at the bowling crease with a six and a four off her first two balls but the Kiwi won the battle when the hard-hitting South African spooned the fourth ball – a slower offering – to Megan Schutt at cover.
Only Mignon du Preez (33) was able to get going for the Stars, whose top order faltered badly, largely at the hands of Devine who chalked up just the fourth five-wicket haul in WBBL history.
Devine was equally magnificent with the bat, shaking off the early departures of Suzie Bates (12) and Tahlia McGrath (0) to combine with Bridget Patterson (51no) for a 131-run third-wicket partnership.
On the cusp of joining Perry and Brisbane Heat gun Grace Harris as the only players with two career WBBL centuries, Devine holed out to Katie Mack in the second-last over off Nicola Hancock, but it was a minor blemish in her otherwise perfect day.
AAP
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