Four Wins From Four, and Now the WACA: Can Sydney Thunder Find a Way Past Mooney and Devine at Home?

Four games, four wins, and not one of them close at the end. The Scorchers chased 137 against the Renegades here at the WACA with 39 balls to spare, defended 124 against the Stars at Junction Oval, beat the Thunder by 17 at Drummoyne and then chased down the Stars again at North Sydney Oval with 30 balls left. They sit top of the table on net run rate, ahead of the Sixers, who are also unbeaten.

Two players have carried most of it. Beth Mooney has scores of 58 not out, 17, 80 not out and 28, which is 183 runs for twice out. Sophie Devine has made 47 not out, 11, 42 and 55 off 24, and she has taken nine wickets as well, including 4 for 19 against the Stars. When a side's opener and number three are both doing this, the rest of the order hardly has to bat. That is also the one small question: on the day Mooney and Devine both went cheaply, against the Stars, the Scorchers made only 124 for 9. It was enough that day, because the bowling was so good.

The bowling has been the quiet strength. Alana King has eight wickets, with 4 for 35 against the Thunder and 3 for 17 against the Stars, and on Sunday she bowled four overs for 12. Chloe Ainsworth has gone at under six an over with the new ball. A possible XI, based on Sunday's side: Katie Mack, Mooney, Devine, Freya Kemp, Mikayla Hinkley, Chloe Piparo, Fatima Sana, Ainsworth, King, Amy Edgar, Lilly Mills.

The Thunder started the season well. Georgia Voll took 4 for 26 to beat the Renegades in the opener, and then they chased 179 against the Heat with 20 balls left, Heather Knight making 54 not out off 29 and Phoebe Litchfield 41 off 19. Since then they have lost twice. The Scorchers made 183 for 3 against them at Drummoyne and won by 17, and on Sunday the Sixers won by nine runs on DLS at North Sydney Oval after Ashleigh Gardner hit 64 off 25.

The batting has plenty in it. Litchfield scores quickly at the top, Knight has been steady, and Laura Harris has made 35 off 16, 29 off 12 and 35 off 10 in her last three innings. The worry is with the ball, especially the seamers. Lauren Bell went for 43 against the Scorchers and Samantha Bates for 48 against the Sixers, both without a wicket. On a WACA pitch with real pace in it, Bell may find more help, but she will be bowling at Mooney and Devine in form. Voll, who has only 35 runs from four innings with the bat, has been their most dangerous bowler.

A possible XI, based on Sunday's side: Litchfield, Voll, Anika Learoyd, Knight, Nadine de Klerk, Harris, Tahlia Wilson, Jemma Barsby, Hannah Darlington, Bell, Bates. The Thunder may look at whether to change the bowling mix after two expensive games, but that is a guess.

Table as of Monday, November 9; Tuesday's Hurricanes v Strikers game may change the positions lower down.

Six days ago at Drummoyne, Mooney batted through the innings for 80 not out off 55, Devine made 42, and Freya Kemp hit 30 off 10 at the end to take the Scorchers to 183 for 3. The Thunder were never far behind: Litchfield made 34 off 19, Harris 29 off 12, and they reached 166 before being bowled out in the 19th over. King took 4 for 35. That is the shape the Thunder will want to change: they kept up with the rate but kept losing wickets, and against King in the middle overs that is where the game went.

The WACA has pace and bounce, and the ball comes on to the bat. When the Scorchers played here on the opening weekend, the Renegades made 136 for 6 and the home side knocked it off in 13.3 overs. With a 4:10 PM start, the first innings is played in the afternoon light and the second goes into the evening. A total of around 160 may be a fair one here, and the bowlers who hit a good length, rather than the ones who bowl short just because the pitch is quick, will probably do best. The side that knows these conditions better is the home side, and that is worth something.