New Zealand superstar Sophie Devine has made an early statement to start her WBBL season, smashing an unbeaten 87 as Perth thrashed Hobart by 98 runs.
After a disappointing season by her standards last summer, Devine made light work of the Hurricanes attack in Hobart on Friday night, with her knock helping the Scorchers to 4-186.
The New Zealander then took 1-14 with the ball, as Hobart were routed for 88, with Alana King the chief destroyer with 3-19.
Devine failed to pass 50 in any of her 13 innings for the Scorchers last summer, but the club still used their retention pick to keep her in this year's draft.
And in her first game of the summer, she showed why.
Devine hit 11 boundaries and two big sixes over long on, putting the Strikers well on top.
The pick of her shots was a cracking cover drive off spinner Molly Strano, while she constantly hit to the offside rope when given room.
Hobart's chase was severely undermined after just six balls, when teenage debutant Chloe Ainsworth (2-10) took two wickets in her first over by bowling Lizelle Lee first ball and trapping Heather Graham lbw.
The one-sided affair came after Brisbane claimed a pulsating six-run win over Melbourne Renegades in the day's other game at Junction Oval.
Chasing the Heat's 9-187, a swashbuckling cameo from Georgia Wareham (36 runs from 16 balls) put the Renegades in position to snatch victory late.
With the Renegades requiring 23 runs from the last six deliveries, Wareham blasted fellow spinner Jess Jonassen for six over deep mid-wicket to put a stunning win within reach.
But when Jonassen caught and bowled her from the next delivery, the Renegades needed a miracle that did not transpire.
Keeping superstar batters Hayley Matthews (20) and Harmanpreet Kaur (31) quiet was key to the Heat's success, and they could thank spinners Sarah Glenn (4-23) and Charlie Knott (3-33).
English leggie Glenn had inspired a collapse of 5-55 either side of the drinks break and emerged as the pick of the bowlers for the Heat.
She took the crucial wicket of Kaur, who mistimed a slog-sweep and was sent packing.
Knott broke the Heat's 55-run opening partnership by claiming Tammy Beaumount with her off-spin and in the same over dismissed the dangerously in-form Matthews.
The Heat's reigning topscorer Georgia Redmayne (49) was influential in her first WBBL game since rupturing her achilles tendon in last season's semi-finals.
