Melbourne Stars 156 for 5 (Bouchier 41, Sutherland 37, Dunkley 37, Kerr 2-21, Hancock 2-36) beat Brisbane Heat 141 for 7 (Kerr 36, Redmayne 32, Day 3-16, Sutherland 2-33) by 15 runs
Lanning sat out Melbourne Stars’ 15-run win over Brisbane Heat at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Sunday due to personal reasons. With only two games left and Stars to miss making the finals, Lanning’s immediate future in the sport is uncertain.
“She’s taking a few days out for some personal reasons,” Stars coach Jonathan Batty told the Seven Network. “We’re reassured she’s all OK, which is the most important thing, but we’re giving her that time and space and respecting her privacy in what she needs to do.
“We’re taking it on a game-by-game basis at the moment and we’ll give her all the time she needs to make that decision but she’s definitely out for the next couple of games.”
Lanning has taken numerous breaks from cricket during the last two years, and earlier this month announced she was ending her storied career for Australia, saying she had lost the hunger to perform at international level.
While Kerr and Mignon du Preez were together, Heat had a chance of challenging the target, but they fell in consecutive deliveries – Kerr excellently caught by wicketkeeper Sophie Reid and then du Preez bowled by Day, who was named Player of the Match for her 3 for 16.
The defeat is a blow to Heat’s hopes of hosting the final as the table-topping team in the regular season.
