Perry hits 111 as Sixers qualify by the barest of margins

Ellyse Perry scored a superb century as the Sydney Sixers beat the Adelaide Strikers by one run to qualify for the WBBL 2025 finals week. Perry's 71-ball 111, which made her only the second player to reach 5000 WBBL runs behind Beth Mooney, took the Sixers to 173 for 4.

The game seemed headed only one way when the Strikers were reduced to 86 for 5 in the 14th over, needing 88 off 39 balls. But Bridget Patterson (65* off 35) and Amanda-Jade Wellington (31 off 20) turned the game around with a brilliant lower-order blitz, plundering 49 off the next three overs.

Ash Gardner began the final over with the Strikers needing 18 to win. Patterson hit two fours and a six off the first three deliveries, bringing it down to 4 from 3. Off the fourth, Patterson managed only a bye. Wellington was bowled off the penultimate ball, and off the final ball, Sophie Ecclestone was run out attempting a second run that would have tied the contest.

Earlier, after the Strikers opted to chase, Perry and Sophia Dunkley (54 off 40) put on a 141-run opening stand. However, a wicket led to a wobble, with the final four overs yielding just 32 runs. Eleanor Larosa was the pick of the Strikers' bowlers, taking all four wickets for 20 runs.

Brief scores:
Sydney Sixers 173/4 in 20 overs (Ellyse Perry 111, Sophia Dunkley 54; Eleanor Larosa 4-20) beat Adelaide Strikers 172/7 in 20 overs (Bridget Patterson 65*, Amanda-Jade Wellington 31; Ash Gardner 2-30) by 1 run.