Mooney, King book Perth Scorchers' spot in WBBL final

Beth Mooney continued her outstanding form, and Alana King came to the fore with the ball, to lead Perth Scorchers into the WBBL final, where they will face Hobart Hurricanes on Saturday.

Mooney's 76, the second-highest score in WBBL finals, was the centrepiece of Scorchers' total, which proved too much for Sydney Sixers. The home side lost Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy and Sophia Dunkley in quick succession, although were given some hope by a 53-run stand between Ash Gardner and Amelia Kerr.

However, King produced a superb second over in the power surge, conceding just six runs and having Gardner taken at mid-off. King struck again to remove a dangerous Maitlan Brown, and finished with match-winning figures of 3 for 17 as 21 runs needed by Sixers from the last over gave Scorchers a cushion.

It has been another impressive WBBL from Mooney, who had struck a century in the second match, and then made an unbeaten 94 to lead Scorchers into the finals. Against Sixers on Thursday, she was given a life on 9 when Healy missed a leg-side stumping, and made Sixers pay despite at times not having a vast amount of the strike. At the end of the four-over powerplay, Mooney had faced only three deliveries.

But once Katie Mack, who had also been dropped on 9, fell for a well-constructed 40, Mooney took charge. She launched Gardner for six, and then next ball moved to her fifty off 27 deliveries.

As Mooney took consecutive boundaries off Kerr at the start of the 17th over, there was an outside chance of a remarkable century. But she fell lbw to Brown in the 19th over as part of a late stutter by Scorchers.

When Paige Scholfield slog-swept Kerr for consecutive sixes, Scorchers looked set for an onslaught. But Kerr, who has struggled this season, gained some revenge when Scholfield fell to a top edge. Scorchers then lost 5 for 21 late in their innings.

Sixers started promisingly in the chase as Perry and Dunkley, given a life on 15 when she skied King in the covers, added 58, although the asking rate was rising.

Perry, who scored a magnificent century in the final regular-season game to book Sixers' spot in the finals, chipped King to midwicket. Healy was then cleaned up by exciting young quick Chloe Ainsworth.

After back-to-back ducks, Healy had at least managed to get off the mark, but couldn't go any further in what has been a difficult season for her, which ends with 119 runs at 13.22.

Gardner and Kerr started to rebuild, and they took the power surge with 75 runs needed from 36 balls. When the first over of it cost 16, a Sixers comeback appeared possible. King, though, ensured it was Scorchers' night.