Local Melbourne Renegades player Charis Bekker has made a remarkable transition from the pub to the center stage of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), playing a pivotal role in her team's 15-run victory over arch-rivals Melbourne Stars.
Bekker, a 20-year-old spinner, was called into the Renegades squad as a replacement for injured spinner Sophie Molineux. Despite her limited experience, she showed no signs of nerves in the high-pressure Melbourne derby.
In her four overs, Bekker conceded only nine runs and picked up the crucial wicket of superstar batter Meg Lanning. Her miserly bowling figures earned her the player of the match award.
"It's been a bit of a whirlwind," Bekker said after the match. "I was at the pub a couple of days ago with my mates, and then got the call [to join the squad]. I played against the Scorchers which was really cool. And then hopped on a flight. It's been really rushed."
Bekker's maiden WBBL wicket was none other than Lanning, one of the most decorated batters in the world. "Everyone was cheering me on, I was just trying to bowl my best ball, and it happened to be Meg Lanning, which was kind of awesome," Bekker said.
Deepti Sharma top-scored for the Stars with 23, while Georgia Wareham claimed the key wicket of captain Annabel Sutherland for 16. The result improved the Renegades' record to 3-3, while the Stars are now 2-3.
Earlier, the Renegades were struggling at 87 for 5 before Naomi Stalenberg (26 not out off 17 balls) and Nicole Faltum (29 off 23) added some handy runs to lift the total to 146 for 6.
The Renegades were 54 for 2 after 10 overs when they took the power surge. Although Deandra Dottin fell for 7 shortly after, the Renegades cracked 29 runs off the two overs. Alice Capsey and Wareham fell in quick succession before Stalenberg and Faltum steadied the ship with a 55-run stand.
The Stars' run chase started slowly with the scoreboard reading 16 for 1 after five overs. Bhatia was lucky to still be there after being dropped by wicketkeeper Faltum in the first over when she was yet to score. The opener scored 22 off 26 balls, but the rest of her team-mates struggled for fluency as the required run rate ballooned out.
Tags: #WBBL, #MelbourneDerby, #CharisBekker, #MelbourneRenegades, #MelbourneStars
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