The perfect season is in the recordbooks for 2022 champion Wellington Blaze after they brushed aside the Otago Sparks in a classy Grand Final performance.
Maddy Green's Blaze missed out on the title last year after they were pipped by the Magicians, but they had won the trophy for three seasons on the bounce before that, and today they were back better than ever for their fourth Dream11 Super Smash trophy in five years.
Green won the toss and batted at Seddon Park, then sat back and watched Sophie Devine start work on her second Domestic T20 title of the season, having earlier won Australia's Big Bash as well, where she helped the Perth Scorchers win their first title.
Devine made the power start the Blaze had been looking for, hitting Hayley Jensen for a boundary first ball of the match.
Her first of five sixes followed off Emma Black, and the strong opener batted deep into the last over before she was finally caught off the same bowler for a 62-ball 92 (10 boundaries included).
A century had still been viably in her sights, after a standout partnership of 110 for the third wicket with Green, who almost eased her way to a 35-ball 55 in great support.
They more than made up for the loss of Melie Kerr, trapped by Eden Carson on 20 at 60/2, as the Blaze motored to 175/4 - a powerful total in a Grand Final.
As much as that was a statement with the bat from the Blaze, it was their bowling attack to put the exclamation mark on a comprehensive win.
They won the battle of the power plays in this match, with a trio of big early strikes - Polly Inglis caught behind off Maneka Singh, the massive wicket of Suzie Bates falling to Jess Kerr (outstanding again with 1-16 off three overs) next ball, and Kate Ebrahim bowled by Devine (2-14) in the sixth over at 36/3.
With a strong top order and youthful bowling attack, if the Sparks had a weakness this season it was an over-reliance on Bates and their top order where the WHITE FERNS would make their mark.
Today they were exposed after Blaze continued to take the big wickets early, Devine swooping in for her second to remove threatening veteran Katey Martin in the eighth, and Melie Kerr employing her sister Jess to take the catch to dislodge Hayley Jensen just one over later at 47 for five.
Partnerships were nipped in the bud, and now Olivia Gain and Caitlin Blakely desperately tried to construct one for the sixth wicket.
They survived for a couple of overs before Leigh Kasperek (3-23) entered the attack in the 12th over and promptly put herself on a hat-trick.
From the outset, the Sparks would have needed to have recorded their highest run chase to lift the trophy in Blaze's stead, but the loss of wickets shifted all the cards into Green's hand as the required run raate raced away on the lower order.
In the 18th over, a runout ended their misery as Blaze cemented a 75-run victory for the 2022 trophy.
Article added: Monday 31 January 2022
