Devine and King take seven wickets as Scorchers defend 124 against Stars

Perth Scorchers beat Melbourne Stars by 15 runs at Junction Oval on Monday, November 2, after Sophie Devine and Alana King shared seven wickets in the Women's Big Bash League. Perth made 124 for nine before dismissing Melbourne for 109 in 18.1 overs, with the BBC Sport scorecard confirming the result.

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Devine finished with four for 19 from four overs, while King returned three for 17 from her four, including a maiden. Chloe Ainsworth also helped keep the chase in check, conceding only 15 runs across three overs and taking one wicket. Amy Edgar and Lilly Mills took a wicket apiece to complete Perth's bowling effort.

According to Cricbuzz's match report, Perth had been in danger of leaving their bowlers with a much smaller target. Katie Mack and Beth Mooney added 37 for the opening wicket, but the innings then deteriorated to 76 for seven. Maisy Gibson, Charlotte Dean and Sophie Day each collected two wickets as Melbourne made inroads through the batting order.

Perth's lower order supplied enough resistance to lift the total beyond 120. King contributed 18 from 21 balls, Ainsworth added 16 and Mills remained unbeaten on 13, Cricbuzz reported. Those runs gave the visitors something to defend after their early partnership had been followed by a succession of dismissals through the middle of the innings.

Melbourne's response suffered an immediate setback when Ainsworth removed Rhys McKenna with the first delivery. The BBC scorecard records Amy Jones and Annabel Sutherland falling to Devine in the fourth over, before King dismissed Naomi Stalenberg. Meg Lanning offered the main resistance with 41 from 36 balls, including three fours and a six, but Edgar eventually removed her.

King struck twice in the 18th over, dismissing Kim Garth and Maisy Gibson, before Mills ended the innings by removing Georgia Prestwidge. The result left Perth with two wins from two matches and second place in the early standings, according to Cricbuzz. Melbourne had one victory from three outings and were fifth.