Lizelle Lee fires Hurricanes to maiden WBBL title

Lizelle Lee propelled Hobart Hurricanes to their first WBBL championship with an unbeaten half-century in the final against Perth Scorchers. After restricting the Scorchers to 137/5, the Hurricanes chased down the target with five overs to spare.

Lee launched the chase aggressively, hitting three boundaries in the first over. Danielle Wyatt-Hodge followed with a similar burst in the next over, taking the Hurricanes to 24/0 in two overs. Wyatt-Hodge was bowled in the sixth over, but Lee continued her assault.

Nat Sciver-Brunt contributed quick boundaries to maintain momentum. After a brief lull, Lee smashed Alana King for consecutive sixes and added two more in the following over, reaching her fifty and effectively sealing the game. Sciver-Brunt was dismissed later, but Lee’s unbeaten 77 set a new record for the highest score in a WBBL final.

Earlier, the Scorchers struggled after a tiring schedule of three games in five days. They made a slow start in the powerplay, with Katie Mack out for 17 off 21 balls. Beth Mooney, who had been in strong form, was bowled for 33 by Heather Graham after several reprieves.

Sophie Devine and Paige Scholfield attempted to accelerate, hitting boundaries to reach 106/4 with four overs left. However, Devine was stumped immediately after hitting a six. Scholfield managed some late boundaries but failed to score off four consecutive balls in the final over, limiting the Scorchers to 137—a total that proved insufficient against Lee’s onslaught.

Brief scores: Perth Scorchers Women 137/5 in 20 overs (Sophie Devine 34, Beth Mooney 33; Linsey Smith 2/8) lost to Hobart Hurricanes Women 141/2 in 15 overs (Lizelle Lee 77*, Nat Sciver-Brunt 35; Amy Edgar 1/13) by 8 wickets.