Stars bt. Thunder by 33 runs
First We Take Manhattan
The 5-Over Manhattan shows where the game was won and lost. The Stars had the better of the powerplay, but the Thunder really pulled it back and were actually ahead after 15 overs – 91 to 86 – but the scoreboard pressure created by the Stars’ big final quarter really told, and the Thunder ended up bowled-out as they tried to chase the runs.
Sophia Dunkley
The Stars big final quarter was very-much down to Sophia Dunkley, who hit 24 off 17 balls, ensuring that Nat Sciver – 40 off 36 at the other end – didn’t have to farm the strike. Dunkley and Sciver between them made every ball count, turning a par effort into a good score by running hard between the wickets – the vast majority of the runs in their 54-run partnership coming in 1s and 2s.
Rene Farrell
Perhaps it was appropriate that it was in Bullseye host Jim Bowen’s native Lancashire that Rene Farrell held up a big sign to the Australian selectors echoing his famous catchphrase: “Look at what you could have won!” Her 5fer showed just what Australia were missing during the World Cup; and how much they could have done with her being in England a month earlier!
Grace Gibbs
Is Grace Gibbs on course to be this year’s Cait O’Keefe ? O’Keefe played every game for the Western Storm last season, but didn’t bat or bowl; and Gibbs is currently on-course to repeat the feat this year! The serious point, however, is that this is one problem with having a competition so densely-packed with superstars – the new talent hardly gets a look-in sometimes, and it feels a bit unfair; though it is difficult to see what to do about it, short of a playing condition requiring players to either bowl or bat in the top 5? (Answers on a postcard, if you’ve got a better idea!)
CRICKETher 
Thanks for all the commentary, really helpful! I made the point on another thread that batting is the big issue in women’s cricket. I have not had the chance to do the analysis for the 2016 season, so far in 2017 the average score is 117.5 barely a run a ball. This does include the incredibly low scoring first game, as well as the high scoring one. Pitches are relatively small, which means unlike the men’s game, ball dominates bat. To get more people to come and pay to watch, more runs have to be scored…..
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The run rate so far this KSL season is 6.33 RPO. Down on last year (6.64) but similar to the WBBL (6.29 in year one and 6.43 in year two) and higher than any edition of the women’s World T20 (highest was 6.26 RPO in 2010).
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This game was a good illustration of how boundary sizes change the nature of the game. Surrey Stars managed a decent total on a somewhat sluggish pitch, not despite but because of the slightly larger boundaries at Old Trafford. The Stars ran threes on two occasions, a real rarity in the KSL. There had only been one other three run in KSL 2017.
Really impressive partnership from Sciver & Dunkley. Went at 9.26 RPO while hitting just four boundaries. Great running, as Syd mentioned above. The Stars have faced the 2nd lowest percentage of dot balls this season (44% just behind Vipers 43.68%).
In the one-and-a-half KSL seasons so far, Lancashire Thunder have the worst run rate (5.89 RPO), average the fewest runs per wicket (12.70), hit the lowest percentage of boundary balls (11.91 %) and face the highest percentage of dot balls (50.44). Pretty comprehensive.
Lastly, Ellyse Perry’s commentary and analysis for Sky was excellent.
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I went to the game at the Oval and to be honest keeping the boundaries the same as the men’s game makes more sense. Firstly, the smaller boundaries do the game no favours, and give ammunition to those who look to denigrate the women’s game and smaller boundaries actually limit running between the wickets.
They make for a 1 or 4 game (with the odd 6) when clever ball and field manipulation by the batsmen would allow for more 2s and the odd 3 to be run. T20 can be as much about tactics as hard hitting in the women’s game. The 6 hit by Brunt would’ve still been a 6 using the men’s boundary I believe.
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The 6 I remember seeing Brunt hit went into the stands! Completely agree with this. With the increased professionalism these women have the ability to hit bigger boundaries and then the increase in 2s and 3s is an added bonus making the game on the whole more impressive.
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There was a 6 that hit the men’s boundary rope – might’ve been Tammy not certain.
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All my cricketing life I’ve seen and on occasions at the higher level of club cricket been a ‘specialist fielder’ but it is disheartening when this happens to young players with the usual platitudes rolled out about ‘grabbing your chance when it comes’.
Before the league expands to home/away it should consider an extra team, to provide depth or even a full Academy side.
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