Renegade crushes former side in breakout game

The Melbourne Stars had Nicole Faltum on their books for seven years, but for the second time in a week were haunted by their decision to let her go as she led the Renegades to a 10-run victory at the MCG.

Faltum (66 off 42 balls) played the innings of her life to rescue the Renegades from a precarious 5-48 and complete a clean sweep of their crosstown rivals after their first win last Sunday.

The 24-year-old’s maiden WBBL half-century left her former Stars floundering in seventh spot on the table with a 2-4 record as the Renegades (5-3) moved within reach of their first finals appearance since 2021-22.

When West Indian hitter Deandra Dottin was trapped lbw by offspinner Deepti Sharma to leave the Renegades 5-48 in the eighth over, the Stars looked destined for a comfortable victory.

But Faltum and Georgia Wareham (34 off 32) had other ideas, knocking the ball around for the next eight overs to reach 5-109 after 16 before calling for the batting powerplay.

Wareham thumped unusually expensive Stars captain Annabel Sutherland (1-53) over square leg for six on the first ball with the field up, but holed out to deep midwicket next ball before Faltum went off with a bang.

It rained boundaries as the former Star and Georgia Prestwidge (23 off nine) took 53 off the next three overs, with Faltum lofting Sophie Day over cover for four on the final ball of the innings.

Rubbing salt into the wounds for the Stars was that Faltum skied an easy chance to midwicket in the 11th over, but was dropped by Deepti Sharma on eight.

Faltum played 79 games for the Stars after debuting as a 17-year-old, but an unbeaten 25 for Australia A against India A last summer was her highest score in T20 cricket until she posted 29 against the Stars last week at the Junction Oval.

She was contracted for another season at the Stars, but in July they agreed to let her walk to the Renegades along with quick Milly Illingworth after limited opportunities with the bat.

The Stars briefly threatened when Meg Lanning strode to the crease at 1-12 and cracked three effortless-looking boundaries, but she fell to Hayley Matthews (2-21) for 14 as she tried to lap-sweep the offspinner and was caught at short fine leg.

Dottin (2-32) took the other big wicket of Sutherland for 21 to reduce the Stars to 4-61, but Rhys McKenna (34 off 18) and Tess Flintoff (19 off 12) kept them in the game until Sarah Coyte removed both in the space of three deliveries in the 19th over.

The Stars will need to win at least three of their last four games to qualify for the post-season, with a trio of interstate matches in the next week beginning with a Sunday afternoon clash against Brisbane Heat at Drummoyne Oval.

Thunder sensation’s MCG day out

A “very special” innings from Georgia Voll engineered the Sydney Thunder’s highest ever successful chase in a vital win over the Perth Scorchers at the MCG on Friday.

Voll could be the recruit of the WBBL season after following her career-high 92 two weeks ago with a stunning 97 from 56 balls, carrying her bat to steer the Thunder past the Scorchers’ 5-170 with a full over to spare.

The 21-year-old Queenslander, who crossed from Brisbane Heat at the end of last season, started steadily with 17 from her first 15 balls before exploding with 10 fours and a six from her next 41 deliveries.

It came after Australian star Beth Mooney – who was sensationally dropped four times – posted 97 runs of her own from 64 balls to set an imposing target in the finals-shaping clash.

Both teams had entered with 4-2 records, but the Thunder gained the upper hand in an emphatic response to their heavy 74-run defeat to the Scorchers in Sydney on Tuesday.

Voll and Thunder captain Phoebe Litchfield were facing a required run rate of 10 per over when Litchfield came down the pitch to Sophie Devine’s spin and was stumped by Mooney to leave them 2-72 in the 10th over.

But the right-hander held her nerve, with important support from English veteran Heather Knight (28 off 24) and a pressure-relieving straight drive for four by Anika Learoyd when they had needed 21 off 14 balls.

“It was a very special innings, and a special game,” Voll said after the player-of-the-match performance in her first game at the MCG.

“It’s probably one of the best wins I’ve been a part of. To be there at the end and steer us home was pretty special.

“I chose to come down (to the Thunder) at the start of the year, and it was nice to give back to the club for getting me down here, and it’s just special to be able to get our team over the line in such an important game for us in the tournament.”

Mooney, who fell just short of her fourth WBBL century, could have been caught behind the wicket twice in the first three overs, but Voll said the Thunder had managed to keep their cool.

“I think when you drop a class player like Moons, you can really pay, and we probably did there,” she said.

“There were probably three or four half-chances, but they can change the game. We came back really well, and spoke at the halfway point how we wanted to go about it.

“First time stepping on the MCG, rocking up for training (on Thursday) … it was really special to play on the field, really special to be able to step foot on this ground, let alone play out on the middle.”