Sophie Devine was back to her best as the Scorchers stretched their unbeaten run in WBBL|12
Sophie Devine has hit the fastest fifty of her WBBL career to help the Perth Scorchers maintain their unbeaten record this season with a six-wicket win over the Melbourne Stars.
Just days after she tactically retired herself out at Drummoyne Oval, Devine was back to her devastating best across town at North Sydney Oval, hammering 55 off 24 balls.
Her blazing knock, which featured eight fours and three sixes, saw her reach fifty off just 21 deliveries.
Combined with Beth Mooney's 24-ball 28, the Scorchers were able to reel in their target of 137 with a whopping 30 balls to spare.
It leaves the Scorchers in a strong position at 4-0 in WBBL|12 as they return to Perth for a string of home matches. The Stars meanwhile are 1-4 midway through their season and facing an uphill battle to qualify for finals.
The ever-humble Devine, who retired when she was on 42 off 39 balls on Thursday, said she had batted "a bit better than the other night".
"That’s cricket, isn’t it. Some days, it’s just not your day, and today, I felt pretty good, so I tried to go with it," Devine told Seven.
"That’s something we speak about as a group and even personally, in terms of making sure that you’re staying really consistent and level.
"Cricket can be a dog of a game sometimes, and if you’re going to ride the highs and lows, you’re going to get pretty tired.
"The beautiful thing about this team is we know everyone contributes and everyone has a role to play, and if it’s your day, you make sure you cash in, and likewise, knowing someone else is going to try and stick their hand up too.
"When you’ve got a group of people together aiming for the same thing, it makes decisions like that (retiring) pretty easy."
Stars captain Meg Lanning won the toss and elected to bat first, but her 56 off 46 balls was the only major contribution as her fellow batters struggled.
Sophie Devine (2-18) and Amy Edgar (2-33) snared two wickets apiece for the Scorchers, while spinner Alana King was at her economical best on the way to 0-12 from four overs, with the Stars restricted to 6-136.
If not for Georgia Prestwidge's 11-ball 23no batting at No.8, it could have been an even more straightforward chase for the Scorchers.
The Stars will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak when they host the Heat at Junction Oval on Thursday, while the Scorchers will host the Thunder, who are also looking to bounce back from a couple of defeats, at the WACA Ground on Wednesday.
"I think with our bowling, we’re still probably missing a little bit on line, giving away a few too many freebies — I’m being super critical here, but I think that’s what you need to do to keep pushing in this competition, because every team is so dangerous," Devine said of where Perth could still improve.
"We’ve had a great start, but it doesn’t mean anything unless we carry on and keep evolving as a group."