In-form Chamari Athapaththu claimed two wickets before powering Sydney Thunder past Perth Scorchers at Cricket Central ground as the race for the WBBL's top spot heats up. Athapaththu was part of Thunder's disciplined spin brigade that restricted Scorchers to a lowly 116 for 8 in the day fixture. In reply, Athapaththu took over after a disastrous run out of Phoebe Litchfield, who had replaced Tahlia Wilson at the top of the order. Having not responded to Litchfield's call at the non-striker's end, Athapaththu made amends with her blistering 77 off 53 balls marked by a calculated assault on legspinner Alana King. She was well supported by captain Heather Knight as Thunder cruised to the target in the 17th over.

Star allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt bowled for the first time this season, but it was to no avail as Scorchers' four-match winning streak was snapped. It was a vital victory for Thunder, who pulled within one point of league leaders Scorchers. Thunder elected to bowl first in what appeared a brave decision amid a flat surface and sunny conditions in Sydney. They had to confront a red-hot Scorchers batting order led by stars Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine, who have enjoyed rekindling their partnership at the top. Having started the season at No. 4, Devine has excelled alongside Mooney and they appeared to be once again powering Scorchers to a big total.

After a cautious start warding off seam movement from the new ball, Devine made her move by clubbing seamer Marizanne Kapp down the ground for a belligerent boundary. It also ignited left-handed batter Mooney, who had earlier struggled to pierce a stacked off side field with Kapp angling the ball across her. She smashed Kapp for consecutive fours and hit four boundaries in the space of five balls. Mooney, who had scored 289 runs and only dismissed once in her last four innings, had a life on 25 when she was dropped at extra cover by Knight. It appeared Thunder would rue the missed chance, but two balls later Mooney was trapped lbw by offspinner Lauren Smith.

 
Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)