Ecclestone’s late heroics seal dramatic last-ball win for Adelaide Strikers

Following a last-ball defeat to Adelaide Strikers in the WBBL, Hobart Hurricanes suffered their fifth consecutive defeat. Captain Nicola Carey scored her second fifty in a row.

Sophie Ecclestone’s three-ball cameo clinched the thriller, hitting two fours in the final over. After nearly fumbling a chase that they appeared well-prepared for at one point, the second one came just as they needed exactly four off the previous one.

After a slow start, Carey became the Hurricanes' lone defender. Chamari Athapaththu just couldn't get going; at one point, she was on eight off 20 and was eliminated on 10 off 26. In contrast, Lizelle Lee attacked Sophie Ecclestone during the Powerplay and started the innings with a four. However, in her first over, the left-arm spinner was hit with four two-fours, which forced her into a leg trap. Madeline Penna also engaged in a brief duel with Rachel Trenaman before capturing her.

Carey, like Athapaththu, got off to a sluggish start as well. Carey was on 15 off 23 when the Sri Lanka batter was retired. But she managed to flip around the scoring rate.

Carey continued to score fours despite the lack of sixes and the fact that the other batsmen batted around her without adding any power to the innings. She got to her fifty in the 19th over, hitting three fours off five Tahlia McGrath deliveries. Carey's crucial late surge was the reason they were able to go from 84/3 to 138/5 in the last five overs.

Also fresh off two defeats, the Strikers got going much faster. Maia Bouchier took three fours off Chinelle Henry’s first over which set up their Powerplay. After six, they were comfortably 43/1 before losing Bouchier to Linsey Smith on the final fielding restriction ball.

Emma de Broughe, the other opener, carried on alongside Laura Wolvaardt. They were 71/1 at the ten-over mark.

De Broughe’s dismissal the following over stalled the innings a bit. McGrath was also taken out by Smith when he returned. They only scored 27 runs from overs 10 to 15. They were further stymied by Heather Graham and Molly Strano, leaving them with 17 matches to win out of the remaining two. Wolvaardt clung to one end, but the lines began to blur.

Carey, who had been somewhat undervalued up until that point, struck in her penultimate over to leave them with 12 to win the final one.

For a run-a-ball 27, Wolvaardt fell to Strano, adding yet another twist at the end. But Ecclestone’s three-ball cameo clinched the game for the Strikers.