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Sydney Thunder produced a clinical all-round performance to crush Melbourne Stars by nine wickets in a rain-hit contest at Junction Oval, Melbourne, with Georgia Voll at the heart of an emphatic victory on Saturday. The match was reduced to a 10-overs-a-side shootout due to persistent showers, but Thunder adapted far better to the truncated conditions to chase down a DLS-adjusted target of 76 with 17 balls to spare.
Georgia Voll’s all-round masterclass against Melbourne Stars
Voll delivered a decisive double blow with the ball and then returned to anchor a turbo-charged chase, justifying her Player of the Match and MVP billing. Introduced after a steady Stars start, the off‑spinning all-rounder removed captain Annabel Sutherland for a duck via sharp work from keeper Tahlia Wilson, before dismissing the dangerous Danielle Gibson to derail any late surge, finishing with 2 for 13 in her two overs. Her control through the middle, alongside disciplined spells from Lucy Finn (2 for 10) and Emily Arlott (2 for 18), ensured Stars were squeezed to just 66 for 6 from their 10 overs, despite the platform laid by Rhys McKenna’s brisk 24 off 22 and Meg Lanning’s 13 off 17.
With the target adjusted to 76 under DLS, Voll shifted seamlessly into aggressor-in-chief after the Powerplay. Coming in alongside an in‑form , she showcased clean, orthodox ball-striking, racing to an unbeaten 33 off just 18 deliveries, peppered with seven boundaries that repeatedly split the packed off-side field. Even after Litchfield fell for a commanding 37 off 23 balls to Sutherland with only 10 runs needed, Voll remained composed, rotating strike before Laura Harris finished the job with a flurry of attacking strokes, leaving Thunder 79 for 1 in 7.1 overs.
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Sydney Thunder dominate rain-shortened contest
Earlier, Stars appeared well placed at 29 without loss in 4.2 overs when rain first interrupted play, with McKenna taking advantage of the fielding restrictions and Lanning bedding in for a longer stay. However, the extended delay not only trimmed the innings to 10 overs but also disrupted their rhythm, and on resumption Thunder’s seam-spin mix ruthlessly exposed the pressure to accelerate. From 36 for 1 in the fifth over, Stars lost five wickets for 23 runs in the final 5.1 overs, with Maia Bouchier, Amy Jones and Lanning all falling in quick succession to leave Kim Garth (5*) and Georgia Prestwidge (2*) merely scraping the total to 66.
Thunder’s reply was the complete contrast: proactive, calculated and relentless. Litchfield set the tone in the Powerplay, driving and lofting through the line to lift Thunder to 50 in just 4.3 overs, a stand of 50 from 27 balls with Voll that effectively killed the contest. Stars’ attack had no answers as Sophie Day and Prestwidge leaked 34 runs in just 2.1 overs at the back end, underlining Thunder’s dominance and leaving the hosts’ home-final ambitions under serious threat, while Thunder signed off their campaign with a statement win built around Voll’s outstanding all-round display.
Volly had a day out in Melbourne to end her campaign in style 👏
— Weber Women's Big Bash League (@WBBL)
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This article was first published at , a Cricket Times company.
