If you've been following the Weber WBBL|11, you know the race to the finals has been absolutely electric. For a moment there, it felt like the Sydney Sixers were scripting the perfect comeback story. Led by their incredible captain, Ashleigh Gardner, they were shaking off a rough patch and building some serious momentum at just the right time. But as we all know, cricket is a funny old game, and the final stretch of this tournament just delivered a twist none of us saw coming.
Key Highlights
- ✓ Ashleigh Gardner delivered a stunning all-round performance, scoring 50 runs and taking 3 wickets against the Melbourne Stars.
- ✓ The Sydney Sixers were on a three-game winning streak, making a powerful late-season surge towards the WBBL finals.
- ✓ Maia Bouchier made an incredible debut for the Stars, scoring a match-high 67 from just 40 balls in her first game.
- ✓ In a dramatic turn, the Melbourne Renegades defeated the Sixers by 6 wickets, snapping their winning streak.
- ✓ Georgia Wareham was named Player of the Match for her crucial 39* off 27 balls, hitting a six to win the game for the Renegades.
Gardner's Masterclass: The Sixers' Redemption Song
Let's rewind just a bit to set the scene. On November 20, the Sixers were on the receiving end of a batting masterclass from Melbourne Stars legend Meg Lanning, whose 135 remains the top score of the season. It was a heavy loss, the kind that can derail a campaign. But instead of crumbling, the Sixers used it as fuel. They went on a tear, stringing together three straight wins and putting themselves right back in the finals conversation, sitting equal-second in the standings.
The peak of this resurgence came in their return match against the Stars at Drummoyne Oval. It was here that captain Ash Gardner truly put the team on her back. She blasted a quickfire 50 from just 31 balls, decorated with seven fours and two sixes. This wasn't just any half-century; it was her highest WBBL score since October 2023, a sign that she was hitting her stride when it mattered most. With support from opener Sophia Dunkley (41), the Sixers posted a healthy 164 for 5.
Then, Gardner went to work with the ball. She snared 3 for 31, including the crucial wicket of Lanning, trapping her lbw for just eight. Despite a heroic effort from Maia Bouchier, who smashed 67 from 40 balls in her very first WBBL game, the Stars fell short. The Sixers sealed a 16-run victory, a win that felt like more than just two points—it felt like a statement.
A Team Finding Its Groove
You could just feel the confidence radiating from the Sixers camp. Gardner herself admitted that while they'd had some "pretty scrappy wins," the victory over the Stars was "the closest to the perfect performance for our team." That's a scary thought for the rest of the league. A team that's winning without playing its best cricket is a team with character and a high ceiling.
With Gardner leading the wicket-taking charts (sitting third with 14 scalps) and now finding her rhythm with the bat, the Sixers looked like a genuine title contender. A finals appearance, their first since WBBL|08, seemed almost inevitable. They had little time to celebrate their win before boarding a flight to Melbourne for a crucial clash against a Melbourne Renegades outfit that was desperately trying to keep its own season alive. A win for the Sixers would have cemented their spot in the top four.
The Unforeseen Twist at Junction Oval
And this is where the script got flipped. The match at Junction Oval was supposed to be the next step in the Sixers' dominant march to the finals. But the Renegades had other plans. The Sixers batted first and were held to a modest total of 130 for 9 in their 20 overs. It was a gettable score, but the pressure of a must-win game can do strange things.
The Renegades' chase was a nail-biter, but the partnership between Georgia Wareham and Courtney Webb proved to be the difference-maker. As the game entered its final stages, the tension was palpable. The 14th over, bowled by Ashleigh Gardner, went for a whopping 16 runs, swinging the momentum firmly in the Renegades' favor. Then, in the 16th over, Maitlan Brown was hit for 18 runs, with Wareham hitting a string of boundaries that left the Sixers stunned.
With just a handful of runs needed, bowler Lauren Cheatle came back into the attack for the 17th over. It didn't matter. Georgia Wareham was in the zone. She dispatched the first ball straight down the ground for FOUR. And on the very next ball, she sealed the deal in the most emphatic way possible, launching a massive SIX over deep square leg. The Renegades won by 6 wickets with 3.4 overs to spare, and Wareham was rightfully named Player of the Match for her game-changing innings of 39 not out.
Conclusion
What a whirlwind! In the span of a few days, we saw the Sydney Sixers look absolutely unbeatable, led by a captain in blistering form, only to be stopped in their tracks by a determined Renegades side. This result blows the WBBL finals race wide open and proves that in this league, you can't take anything for granted. For Ash Gardner and the Sixers, it's a frustrating bump in the road, but for us fans, it's a thrilling reminder of why we love this sport—it's unpredictable, dramatic, and utterly captivating right to the very end.
