Mooney, King power Scorchers into WBBL 2025 final

Beth Mooney's sublime 44-ball 76 and Alana King's three-wicket haul powered Perth Scorchers to an 11-run win over Sydney Sixes in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) Challenger, setting up a finale date with Hobart Hurricanes on Saturday.

Asked to bat first, Katie Mack (40) and in-form Mooney added 66 for the opening wicket, with Mack being the aggressor before falling to Ashleigh Gardner in the eighth over. Mooney hit 11 fours and a six, forging crucial little stands with Sophie Devine, Paige Scholfield and Maddy Darke.

Amelia Kerr sliced through the middle order with a couple of wickets while Maitlan Brown accounted for the all-important wicket of Mooney in the 19th over, but by then Scorchers already had 172 on the board. Gardner picked a couple of wickets in the final over but Scorchers were able to put up a decent 183/8 on the board, a total that proved to be enough on the night.

Sixers' reply kick-started with a 58-run opening stand between Sophia Dunkley and Ellyse Perry but Alana King broke that partnership in the eighth over and sent Sixers into a bit of a slide. Out-of-form Alyssa Healy was bowled for 1 by Chloe Ainsworth in the next over before Ruby Strange provided another blow four balls later, sending the well-set Dunkley back into the shed.

Kerr and Gardner added 53 off 35 balls for the fourth wicket, with Kerr smashing 42 off 29, including 6 fours, to keep Sixers in the game but Alana King had more left up her sleeve. She got Gardner caught in the ring and then came back to pick the wicket of Maitlan Brown, effectively shutting the chase. Sixers could only manage 172/6 in their 20 overs, their wait for a title stretching to yet another year.

Brief Scores: Perth Scorchers 183/8 (Mooney 76, Mack 40; Gardner 3-25) beat Sydney Sixers 172/6 (Kerr 42, Dunkley 41; King 3-17) by 11 runs