Adelaide Strikers 169 for 4 (Mack 71, Patterson 35, Edgar 1-31) won Perth Scorchers 165 for 7 (Sciver-Brunt 53, Jones 33, Wellington 3-25, Schutt 2-25) with six wickets
The batsmen looked to be cruising for much of the chase of 166 but still needed 12 runs from the final over. Gibson hit four off the first delivery off teenage quick Chloe Ainsworth and leveled the score with a six over deep midwicket in the fourth delivery.
But a dot added to the nerves, leaving one to win off the final ball, until Gibson calmly smashed further square cover as the Strikers finally prevailed in a chase they seemed to have in the bag for much of the innings.
The Scorchers were left disappointed when Strikers captain Tahlia McGrath survived an lbw shout at 3 from legspinner Alana King that would have been overturned had they reviewed the decision. Mack and McGrath feasted on the odd bowling with young speedsters Ainsworth and Stella Campbell being particularly expensive.
The Scorchers turned to offspinner Amy Edgar, whose ability to take invaluable wickets continued when she caught McGrath in the mid-30s. Mack was unconventional but effective and combined well with Bridget Patterson in a 78-run third-wicket partnership. But the Strikers stumbled late with Mack brilliantly run out by captain Sophie Devine in the penultimate over before Gibson’s heroics.
With both teams entering with 4-2 records, the Strikers notched a pivotal win at the halfway point of the season after overcoming an uncharacteristically sloppy fielding effort marked by the loss of three catches, including Sciver-Brunt on 27.
The Scorchers elected to bat in good batting conditions and all eyes were on Sciver-Brunt, who was a controversial late signing after not being nominated for the overseas player draft. He started with 53 off 33 balls and helped the Scorchers overcome a stutter in the middle. Sciver-Brunt, who has not played since scoring an ODI century against Sri Lanka in September, showed no rust with clean hitting on a ground where she made her Test debut almost a decade ago.
Sciver-Brunt’s inclusion forced a reshuffle in the line-up with Devine returning to her usual position, partnering Beth Mooney at the top after starting the season at No.4. But Mooney was out for a duck in the first over when the fast Megan Schutt had taken third place in an excellent position.
Emerging batsman Maddy Darke kept her place in the team and lived up to the credit with some attractive knocks.
Having used the scoop to good effect, Darke failed to connect in another such attempt and was bowled by legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington. Devine rode her luck having fallen on 19 and 22 but couldn’t make the Strikers pay the price. He was bowled on 28 by McGrath in a decision that was upheld by the third umpire amid confusion over whether wicketkeeper Patterson had dismissed the balls.
Sciver-Brunt and Amy Jones quickly got the Scorchers back on track with a 72-run partnership without the wheels. They ran between the wickets to put pressure on the flagged Strikers, before unleashing a string of boundaries.
But Jones on 33 was bowled by Wellington to be bowled out as the Strikers fought back at the innings end largely due to Shott’s unnerving accuracy. Sciver-Brunt reached her half-century in style with a boundary in the final over of the innings, much to the delight of a record WACA crowd of 3400 for a WBBL match.
But the Scorchers faithful were less than thrilled when Gibson stepped up under pressure as shadows crept across the ground.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth