No-one has made more WBBL runs than Beth Mooney this year, or ever and she again showed why she’s the world number one
Beth Mooney further underlined her greatness and put a gap on those chasing her as the WBBL’s leading run-scorer before the a deluge forced the Perth Scorchers to share the points with bottom-placed Sydney Thunder in Adelaide.
With Sri Lankan import Chamari Athapaththu shedding her underachiever tag with a memorable farewell knock, the pair powered second-placed Perth to 2-184 amid persistent drizzle before the downpour became heavier and play was called off with the Thunder 1-21 off 2.3 overs in reply.
“It is hugely disappointing. You want to finish games that you start,” said Mooney, the competition‘s all-time leading run scorer, after making 83 not out.
“The ground staff and umpires hung on the best they could but it wasn’t meant to be.”
Mooney and Athapaththu lit up Karen Rolton beneath Adelaide‘s gloomy skies, combining for a WBBL record third-wicket unbroken stand of 135.
The unbeaten knock from Mooney took her WBBL run tally this season to 419 runs, 85 runs more than next best Grace Harris and underlined the Australian star’s status as the number one T20 batter in the world.
Athapaththu, in her last hit-out before leaving the country to captain Sri Lanka in the 50-over World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, signed off with a swashbuckling 70no, her belated maiden WBBL half-century in her 26th match.
“When she plays nice and straight and hits the ball hard, she‘s one of the best going around,” Mooney said.
“She‘s probably gone away from that a bit in recent games but it was nice to see her score some runs.”
The Thunder‘s chase started disastrously when Darlington, who promoted herself to the top of the order, was skittled by an unplayable nut from in-form Marizanne Kapp in the first over, not long before play was abandoned.
PERTH PAIR BEST EVER
Mooney‘s opening combination with captain Sophie Devine is the best in the history of the WBBL, according to Australian vice-captain Rachael Haynes.
Devine, who looked in ominous touch before she was yorked for 16 by Sammy-Jo Johnson, has shared in five century partnerships with Mooney since the pair joined forces last summer.
“Yeah, I think they are,” said Haynes, the regular Thunder skipper but sitting out this season‘s competition and fulfilling television commentary duties after recently welcoming her first child into the world.
“They complement each other really well.
“Traditionally with someone like Devine batting, you think boundaries and big shots, but these two sneak so many singles in-between which makes them quite formidable.”
Originally published as WBBL: Superstar batter Beth Mooney was at her scorching best before rain shut down another big win in Adelaide
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