Adelaide Strikers Edge Hobart Hurricanes in Last-Ball WBBL Thriller
Adelaide Strikers held their nerve to defeat Hobart Hurricanes by four wickets in a dramatic Women’s Big Bash League contest, with Sophie Ecclestone delivering the decisive blow on the final ball. The result extended Hobart’s losing streak to five matches, despite captain Nicola Carey producing her second consecutive half-century and steering her side to a competitive total.
Chasing 139, Adelaide appeared well placed for much of the innings before Hobart’s bowlers tightened their grip during the middle overs. The Strikers needed 17 runs from the final two overs, and the chase became more complicated when Laura Wolvaardt fell in the last over. Ecclestone then took charge, striking two boundaries in a three-ball cameo. Her second four came from the final delivery, when Adelaide needed exactly four to win.
The finish offered a sharp reminder of how quickly a T20 cricket match can turn. Adelaide had built a strong platform, but Hobart’s disciplined bowling and late wickets brought the contest down to its final delivery. For fans following the WBBL, the match also showed why prediction is difficult in close finishes: a side can control long stretches of a chase and still need one decisive shot at the end.
Nicola Carey Rescues a Slow Hobart Innings
Hobart’s innings began cautiously, and the Hurricanes struggled to find momentum during the Powerplay. Chamari Athapaththu found scoring difficult, reaching eight from 20 deliveries at one stage. With the innings moving slowly, she was eventually retired out on 10 from 26 balls, allowing another batter to take her place.
Lizelle Lee offered a brighter start, opening her account with a boundary and taking on Ecclestone during the fielding restrictions. But the left-arm spinner responded by trapping Lee lbw after being struck for two fours in her opening over. Rachel Trenaman also made a brief attempt to lift the scoring rate before Madeline Penna dismissed her.
Carey was not immediately able to accelerate either. When Athapaththu left the middle, the Hurricanes captain had made 15 from 23 balls. She gradually changed the shape of the innings, however, finding the boundary regularly and giving Hobart a reliable presence at the crease. Although she did not hit a six, her placement and timing helped her keep the scoreboard moving while wickets and low-scoring contributions limited the support around her.
Carey reached her half-century in the 19th over with a productive burst against Tahlia McGrath, hitting three fours from five deliveries. Her late surge proved crucial: Hobart moved from 84 for three to 138 for five in the final five overs. The total was not enormous, but Carey’s composure gave the Hurricanes a score from which their bowlers could apply pressure.
Strikers Make a Fast Start Before Hobart Fight Back
Adelaide began their reply with more urgency than Hobart had shown in the first innings. Maia Bouchier attacked Chinelle Henry, collecting three fours from the opening over and helping the Strikers establish an early rhythm. Adelaide reached 43 for one after six overs, with Bouchier dismissed by Linsey Smith on the final ball of the Powerplay.
Emma de Broughe and Wolvaardt continued the chase steadily. By the halfway point, Adelaide were 71 for one and appeared to have a clear path toward the target. De Broughe’s dismissal in the following over, though, interrupted that progress. Smith then removed McGrath, giving Hobart an opportunity to slow the scoring and bring the required rate into focus.
The Strikers managed only 27 runs between overs 10 and 15. Molly Strano and Heather Graham contributed to the squeeze, limiting easy scoring and forcing Adelaide to work harder for boundaries. With 17 needed from the last two overs, the chase had shifted from comfortable to uncertain.
Wolvaardt remained at the crease and tried to guide Adelaide home, but the boundaries had dried up. Carey, who had been relatively expensive earlier, made an important contribution in her final over—the penultimate over of the match—leaving the Strikers with 12 to get from the last six balls. The contest tightened further when Strano dismissed Wolvaardt for a run-a-ball 27.
Ecclestone Delivers Under Pressure
With Adelaide’s set batter gone, the final over carried the pressure of a match that could still swing either way. Ecclestone wasted little time, finding the boundary twice in three deliveries. The first four brought the target within reach; the second, struck when four runs were required from the final ball, completed the victory and sparked celebrations in the Strikers’ camp.
For Hobart, the defeat was especially painful after Carey’s determined innings and a strong late effort from the bowlers. The Hurricanes had managed to turn a promising Adelaide start into a tense finish, but they could not prevent Ecclestone from finding the decisive boundary. Their fifth consecutive loss leaves them searching for a way to convert competitive performances into results.
Adelaide, meanwhile, will take confidence from a successful chase after arriving on the back of two defeats. De Broughe’s 41 provided the innings with an important foundation, while Wolvaardt’s contribution kept the Strikers in contention through the middle overs. Ecclestone’s brief but match-winning intervention supplied the finish that the top order could not quite deliver.
Match Summary
Hobart Hurricanes Women: 138/5 in 20 overs — Nicola Carey 66; Sophie Ecclestone 1/37, Madeline Penna 1/14.
Adelaide Strikers Women: 139/6 in 20 overs — Emma de Broughe 41, Laura Wolvaardt 27; Lauren Smith 2/6, Molly Strano 2/30.
Result: Adelaide Strikers Women won by four wickets on the final ball.
The match is a reminder that WBBL cricket rewards teams that stay composed through changing phases. Hobart’s late acceleration created a defendable target, and its bowlers nearly completed a comeback. But Adelaide’s final-over execution proved decisive. Any cricket prediction based on the early stages alone would have missed the drama: the outcome remained unsettled until Ecclestone’s last-ball boundary.
