Lanning century leads Stars' domination over Sixers
Kim Garth picked up four wickets in her two overs to trigger a collapse
AAP
20-Nov-2025 • 8 hrs ago
Meg Lanning made 135 off 74 balls • Getty Images
Melbourne Stars 219 for 4 (Lanning 135, McKenna 50) beat Sydney Sixers 42 (Garth 4-3) by 111 runs (DLS method)
Meg Lanning has produced one of the greatest innings in WBBL history, with a vintage century leading Melbourne Stars to a rain-affected 111-run flogging of Sydney Sixers.
In a stunning reminder of why Australia's former captain was for a long time the world's best bat, Lanning hit 135 from 74 balls at North Sydney Oval. Her knock help Stars to the third highest total in the competition's history of 219 for 4, before Sixers were all out for 42 in reply with Kim Garth taking 4 for 3.
Sixers were only saved from the biggest defeat in WBBL history by rain wiping out 10 overs and threatening to deny Stars with the target reduced to 154. But this was still Sixers' lowest ebb: their biggest defeat and lowest total.
Stars' victory came after Hobart Hurricanes beat the Melbourne Renegades in Thursday's earlier game, putting Hurricanes two wins clear at the top of the ladder.
But no matter how much rain fell, there was no denying this was Lanning's night as she scored three-times as many as the entire Sixers side.
The 33-year-old's innings marked the highest of her 280-game T20 career, and the third highest in WBBL history. And in terms of pure stroke-play, there have arguably been no better knocks in the 11 seasons of the competition.
Lanning hit 22 boundaries and cleared the rope another four times. Her placement was precise, regularly manipulating the balls into small gaps. Sixers fed Lanning with balls outside off stump. She responded with an array of late cuts, square drives and cover drives that all went to the boundary. She took 41 balls to bring up her half century, but from there exploded with her final 82 runs coming from 33 balls and a boundary every two deliveries.
Now two years retired from international cricket, Lanning has scores of 60, 90 not out, 3 and 135 to start this WBBL season and remains one of the best batters in the world.
Garth then killed off any faint Sixers hopes, bowling Sophia Dunkley, Ellyse Perry and Elsa Hunter. Rhys McKenna was the other hero for the Stars, with her 50 coming as part of a159-run opening stand with Lanning.