Penna, Brown step up to secure finals hosting rights for Adelaide Strikers

Defending champions Adelaide Strikers secured top spot in the WBBL regular season and hosting rights for the final next Saturday, which will be staged at Adelaide Oval, with a comprehensive five-wicket win over Perth Scorchers.

The top four is all but set with Strikes (18 points), Scorchers (16), Brisbane Heat (16) and Sydney Thunder (15) the likely finalists.

Heat and Scorchers have completed their group games. Only a massive win and associated run-rate boost from fifth-placed Hobart Hurricanes (13 points) over the rampant Strikers on Sunday can displace Thunder, who meet the Sydney Sixers the same day at the SCG.

Strikers flexed their collective muscles on Friday night at Adelaide Oval against previous pace-setters Scorchers The visitors slumped to 15 for 4 inside five overs and were bowled out for 104 in 19.4 overs, with Strikers winning with 31 balls after a brief wobble.

Scorchers struggled amid an early onslaught from the home side's bowlers. Darcie Brown, who has recently returned from a hamstring injury, set the ball rolling with a superb new-ball spell. She had Beth Mooney caught down the leg side and bowled Chloe Piparo with a sharp inswinger in her opening over.

After the early collapse, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Sophie Devine steadied with a 47-run stand for the fifth wicket but they were only batters to reach double-figures. Sciver-Brunt's dismissal for 32 triggered another slide of 6 for 42, including the wicket of Devine.

Alongside the impressive Brown, Amanda-Jade Wellington, who found some sharp turn, and Danielle Gibson were also standouts.

In their run chase, Strikers' batters were cruising at 50 for 1 in the seventh over but then stumbled, losing 4 for 18 with Devine claiming two wickets in three balls to leave the home side 68 for 5.

But Madeline Penna (31 not out from 23) and Wellington produced an unbroken 38-run partnership to steer Strikers to victory.