Rain-hit Melbourne derby goes to Stars as both sides end lacklustre WBBL campaigns
The two Melbourne teams finished in the bottom two positions on the points table
AAP
25-Nov-2023
Kim Garth's double-strike made sure Renegades were behind the ask when rain stopped play • Getty Images
Melbourne Stars 118 (Sutherland 36, Harmanpreet 2-13, Wareham 2-18) beat Melbourne Renegades 27 for 2 in 5.3 overs (Matthews 17*, Garth 2-2) by eight runs (DLS)
Wet weather brought an end to drab WBBL campaigns from both Melbourne sides in Stars' rain-affected derby win at the MCG on Saturday night.
Annabel Sutherland top-scored as Stars were bowled out for 118, and Kim Garth's early wickets in Renegades' run chase gave Stars, the hosts for the game, the upper hand.
Garth reduced Renegades to 12 for 2 inside three overs before rain temporarily forced players off the field and sent most fans in a crowd of 5933 heading for cover. Play returned for only another nine balls as Hayley Matthews (17 not out off ten balls) tried valiantly to put Renegades in front on the DLS chart.
But Renegades' 27 for 2 from 5.3 overs was still eight runs short of a par score when rain ended the match for good.
The result left Stars (six wins in 14 games) and Renegades (two wins in 14) filling the bottom two places on the table. It was Stars' fourth win from their last five matches, giving them an idea of what might have been had they started the season in better form.
Garth, who returned figures of 2 for 2 in her two overs, dismissed Renegades openers Tammy Beaumont and Emma de Broughe within three balls in the third over of the innings after stand-in captain Sutherland (36) lifted Stars to a respectable total batting first.
Sutherland smacked six boundaries in her 36 off 28 balls and put on a club-record fourth-wicket stand of 45 with Tess Flintoff (22 off 23 balls).
Both Sutherland and de Broughe were out caught off Harmanpreet Kaur, who returned 2 for 13. Matthews (2 for 20), Georgia Prestwidge (2 for 27) and Georgia Wareham (2 for 18) were the other main wicket-takers.
The rain-affected match was a disappointing end to former Australian international Jess Duffin's professional career after the cross-code athlete announced her retirement before the match. Duffin didn't bat or bowl but claimed he catch that dismissed Alice Capsey for a second-ball duck off Georgia Prestwidge's bowling.
Stars were again without regular captain Meg Lanning, who sat out the final three games of the season for personal reasons. Lanning announced her retirement from international cricket earlier this month, saying she had lost the hunger to perform at the international level.