The Adelaide Strikers have missed out on a spot in the WBBL Finals by just one run in a nail-biting, final-ball thriller against the Sydney Sixers at North Sydney Oval.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl, the Strikers were made to wait for their first breakthrough as Ellyse Perry and Sophia Dunkley looked at ease on a flat pitch.
Eleanor Larosa (4-20) was the standout performer with the ball, claiming all four wickets in the innings, including three in the final over, while conceding just a single run.
Chasing 173 to keep their finals hopes alive, the Strikers’ innings got off to a shaky start, slumping to 5/86 by the 13th over.
When the game seemed out of reach, Bridget Patterson, playing her 150th match, joined forces with Amanda-Jade Wellington to mount a fightback.
With more than 300 games of experience between them, the pair combined grace and power, finding boundaries and lifting the run rate to bring the Strikers within touching distance.
Needing 18 runs from the final over, Patterson started brilliantly, smashing 14 from the first three balls. But Wellington’s dismissal left three required from the last delivery, and a tight run-out sealed the Sixers’ victory.
The Strikers finish their WBBL season with 3 wins, 4 losses, and 3 no results.