New Zealand captain Melie Kerr has starred with the bat and ball to keep the Sydney Sixers unbeaten in the WBBL with victory over the Melbourne Renegades.
In the second match of a double-header at Melbourne's Junction Oval, Kerr set up the Sixers' 11-run win by top-scoring with 53 off 34 balls and finishing with tidy figures of 1-29.
It lifted the Sixers to 5-0 at the season's halfway mark and into second spot alongside the also unbeaten Perth Scorchers.
"Nice to get the win in another close one .... and be on a winning streak," 26-year-old Kerr said.
"It was a tricky wicket. We saw that throughout the day that it's hard to start.
"So we knew that if we could get to 140, 150, we gave ourselves a good chance."
As the pitch slowed, the Renegades got off to a horror start chasing the Sixers' target of 140 after collapsing to 3-22 in the fifth over.
Hayley Matthews (one from four balls) and Courtney Webb (seven off nine) departed cheaply before Kerr got a finger on a blasted Sophie Molineux drive to run out Olivia Porter at the non-strikers end.
Without a score in double figures this season, the Australian captain inched her way to 18 and was livid when caught trying to cut away Caoimhe Bray (1-17 off three overs).
After losing Nicole Faltum (21 off 21), Tess Flintoff (44 off 33) used the powerplay to breathe life back into the Renegades.
Sarah Coyte (1-19 off three over) dropped Georgia Wareham (17 off 16) but made amends the next over by bowling Flintoff.
Needing 17 off the last over to win, spinner Ashleigh Gardner (3-13 off three overs) shut the door as the Renegades were bowled out for 129.
The Renegades - now at 2-3 - will face the Sixers again on Sunday at North Sydney Oval.
In the earlier game, a captain's knock from Georgia Redmayne propelled Brisbane past the Melbourne Stars and into the top four.
Set 166 for victory, skipper Redmayne (74 not out off 50 deliveries) and Irish young gun Orla Prendergast (52 not out off 36) put the Stars to the sword.
The pair took control of the Heat's run chase to cruise to an eight-wicket win with seven balls to spare.
"We did really well in the back 10 overs ... to keep them to that 165," Redmayne said.
"We thought that may be a little under par, but to chase down a big total like that gives us a lot of confidence.
"It's the best chase we've done in many a year."
After Meg Lanning (52 off 45) and Amy Jones (74 off 52) top-scored for the Stars, the Heat blasted 39 off three overs to put themselves in a strong position at 1-57 after six overs.
An opportunity to run out Redmayne on 29 went begging when replays showed Stars wicketkeeper Jones dropped the ball before taking off the bails.
It proved to be the key moment of the match, with Redmayne and Prendergast compiling a 105-run partnership and remaining unbeaten at the death.
It was the Stars' fourth straight loss, while the Heat are sitting pretty in third with three victories on the bounce after going 706 days without a triumph.
