A captain's knock from Ash Gardner was not enough to see the Sydney Sixers overcome the Melbourne Stars in Thursday's WBBL|09 season opener.
Gardner struck a game-high 72 (44) in the Sixers' unsuccessful chase of 8-165 at Sydney's North Sydney Oval.
Arriving at the crease with her side in trouble at 2-22 following the loss of New Zealand international Suzie Bates (6 from 11) and Alyssa Healy (10 from 10), Gardner began resurrecting the Sixers' innings.
However a steady flow of wickets saw the Sixers slump to 7-71 with Gardner unable to find a consistent ally at the other end.
That was until Maitland Brown arrived at the crease, the bowling allrounder compiling 35 from just 22 balls, a quick fire knock that included six boundaries.
The pair combined in an innings-high 84-run stand, Gardner striking nine boundaries and two sixes to maintain a healthy strike-rate of 163.64 heading into the death overs.
But Gardner's dismissal in the penultimate over, bowled by Stars seamer Annabel Sutherland (4-27) saw the home side lose momentum with less than 10 runs remaining in the chase, the Sixers eventually falling two runs shot of victory.
Following the tight loss, Gardner said her team did well to recover to a winning position, repenting the loss of both set batters late in the match.
"We were behind the eight ball for probably 60 per cent of that batting innings but then 'Maito' came out with a really good attitude," Gardner said, via The Chronicle.
"I took her confidence coming out and tried to ride that. Having an 80-run partnership with her meant it was ours to lose at that point, but unfortunately when I got out and she got out in quick succession, it was going to be hard for two new batters to come in.
"It's very frustrating to get that close after such a good fightback, but that's cricket."
Earlier in the match, Gardner was also the pick of the Sixers with the ball after reliving four tight overs at less than a-run-a-ball.
The Muruwari off-spinner took 2-23 from her full compliment of overs, dismissing the Stars captain and key batter Meg Lanning (55 from 34) in the 12th over before having Rhys McKenna (4 from 7) stumped later in the Stars' innings.
Gardner said she is excited about her team's lineup for the ninth instalment of the WBBL, with the some big names expected to return to the Sixers' playing XI with their next match against crosstown rivals Sydney Thunder on Sunday.
"It's exciting to know what we can do even when we are under the pump," Gardner said.
"The batters at the top of the order are willing to score some runs.
"Our bowlers did a really good job to peg them back to 160 on a ground like this which I thought was under par.
"We get our captain back. She's a massive in, and then potentially Jess Kerr comes into the line-up as well."
