Melbourne Stars slumped to the biggest defeat in the Women’s Big Bash League history, going down against reigning champions Adelaide Strikers by 148 runs on October 21.

Adelaide Strikers toppled the Stars for a record-low WBBL total of 29. After piling on 177-3 with the bat, the Strikers defended the big total with authority. Stars batters had no clue against a fired-up bowling line-up comprising Megan Schutt (3-3) and wrist-spinners Amanda Jade Wellington  (3-4) and Anesu Mushangwe (2-12).

Earlier, Stars captain Meg Lanning put the Strikers to bat first on a chilly evening at Adelaide’s Karen Rolton Oval. Their bowling attack was ripped apart by Strikers openers Katie Mack and Laura Wolvaardt. The duo blasted their way to a 135-run stand for the first wicket in just 14 overs. Mack top-scored with 86 off 50 balls, smacking 14 boundaries, while in-form Wolvaardt played second fiddle with a 47 (36).

The Mack-Wolvaardt partnership was the highest-ever for any wicket for the Strikers in the WBBL, eclipsing the 131 runs put on by Bridget Patterson and Sophie Devine – also against the Stars – in the 2018-19 season. Captain Tahlia McGrath finished with a quickfire unbeaten cameo of 34 off 19, posting a target of 178  for the Stars.

Stars talismanic skipper Meg Lanning returned early during the run-chase after failing to clear the mid-wicket boundary with a flick off Schutt’s opening over. Mushangwe, playing her second WBBL game, strangled the Stars further with twin strikes in the next over. Sophia Dunkley (9) and Alice Capsey (2) sliced deliveries to the in-field and returned to the pavilion without significant contributions. The visitors never recovered from the early collapse as an insurmountable defeat knocked at their door. McGrath claimed the final wicket with the Stars’ score at 29 to ease their suffering. The Lanning-led side surpassed the previous lowest WBBL total (66) jointly held by Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes. The bruised Stars need to regroup before they reconvene on October 24.

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