WBBL round-up: Ellyse Perry makes winning return on rain-soaked day

Ellyse Perry struck the winning runs in her first match for more than seven months as the Sydney Sixers beat both the Adelaide Strikers and the weather with two balls to spare on a grey, wet day at North Sydney Oval.

After appearing set to join the other three games in being abandoned, the skies broke for long enough for a contest initially reduced to nine overs. The Sixers were impressive from the start, a superb catch at backward point by Jodie Hicks setting the tone, and the Strikers slumped to 4 for 14 as Lisa Griffith struck with her first two balls in Sixers' colours. They did well to scramble as far as 68 largely through Bridget Patterson's 28 and after three overs of the chase the Sixers only had 13.

However, Perry and Alyssa Healy then cut loose against Amanda-Jade Wellington before the rain returned with the contest seven balls short of the minimum five overs required. For the Australia players involved there may have been flash backs to the T20 World Cup semi-final at the SCG when the rain relented just enough to finish the game - the electronic screen couldn't cope with it all which left ground staff racing to keep the players updated on the traditional scorecard - and Perry swiped a leg-side boundary to get the Sixers up and running.

The other game at North Sydney Oval between Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars briefly began as a 15-over match before being washed out while the two games at Hurstville Oval - Brisbane Heat verses Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers v Hobart Hurricanes - were called off without a ball bowled. It meant the opening two days of the WBBL only saw three positive results.