Having put on a flop show with the bat, Sophie Devine lived up to the expectations with the ball as the New Zealand all-rounder picked up four wickets to help Perth Scorchers to a 15-run win in a low-scoring Women’s Big Bash League ( WBBL) 2026 encounter against Melbourne Stars on Monday at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.
The win also propelled Perth Scorchers into the top two with four points from two games, on level with two Sydney-based franchises – Sixers and Thunders. Melbourne Stars are fifth with two points from three games.
Coming after a match-winning 47 not out against Melbourne Renegades in the last game Devine could manage only 11 off 13 balls at no.3 after sent to bat. Earlier, Perth Scorchers were off to a not so good start with both the openers Katie Mack (12) and Beth Mooney (17) falling early.
Wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals for Perth Scorchers before Chloe Ainsworth (16), Alana King (18) and Lilly Mills (13) added some runs, reaching 124/9 in 20 overs. For Melbourne Stars, Charlotte Dean, Sophie Hay and Maisy Gibson, all took two wickets each.
Perth Scorchers’ fiery start with ball
With just a mere total to defend, Perth Scorchers needed a fiery start with the ball. Ainsworth started with a first-ball wicket, as Rhys McKenna edged behind to Mooney. That wicket really gave Perth Scorchers the momentum as Devine removed Amy Jones and Annabel Sutherland, both in the fourth over. Left-arm spinner Alana King got the better of Naomi Stalenberg before Devine removed Dean to break the opposition backbone.
Melbourne Stars couldn’t recover from that breakdown as King and Devine added three more wickets together. Captain Meg Lanning fought a lone battle with 41, but lacked support from the other end. In the end, Melbourne Stars were all out for 109 in 18.1 overs. In the end, Devine finished with 4/19 while King had 3/17 from their respective four overs.
Sophie Devine’s international career
Having made her New Zealand debut in 2006, Devine retired from international cricket earlier this year, post the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, thus ending a 20-year-career. She had earlier retired from ODIs following the 50-over World Cup in 2025 in India.
Regarded as one of the stalwarts in women’s cricket in New Zealand, Devine represented the national team in 159 ODIs, scoring 4279 runs, which included nine hundreds and 18 half-centuries. In the shortest format, Devine played 158 games, for 3817 runs with one hundred to her name.