SYDNEY, Australia (CMC) – Injured West Indies Women captain Stafanie Taylor was a non-starter and fellow all-rounder Hayley Matthews made a minor contribution in the final round of preliminary matches in the Women’s Big Bash League on Sunday.

Taylor was not expected to play after sustaining a leg injury on Saturday, but she watched her Adelaide Strikers teammates upstage semifinals-bound Perth Scorchers by three runs to close out their participation in this season’s competition in a thrilling fashion.

Matthews returned to Hobart Hurricanes line-up, after not playing in the previous two matches. She was dismissed for a four-ball duck and took one for 12 in three overs with her uncomplicated off-spin, but the Sydney Thunder confirmed their place in the semi-finals with a six-wicket victory.

At North Sydney Oval, Strikers fought back to pull off an incredible upset win over Perth Scorchers against the odds, finishing their season on a high note, after being knocked out of semi-finals contention on Saturday.

Amanda-Jade Wellington hit five fours and two sixes in the top score of 48 from 25 balls and led a solid batting effort for Strikers to reach 159 for six from their allocation of 20 overs, after they were put in to bat.

South Africa Women’s Laura Wolvaardt supported with 37, Katie Mack made 32 and Madeline Penna added 20 to prop up the Strikers batting.

Mack and Woolvaardt added 57 for the second wicket to hold the top order together before Wellington led the late charge, dominating a fifth-wicket stand of 43 with Bridget Patterson before falling to the penultimate ball of the innings.

Rookie England Women pacer Sarah Glenn was the pick of the Scorchers bowlers, taking four for 18 from her allotted four overs.

Scorchers appeared well placed to successfully chase down the target, when New Zealand Women’s Sophie Devine and Australia Women’s Beth Mooney put on 118 with little trouble for the first wicket.

Devine was caught behind off Australia’s pacer Tahlia McGrath for 57 off 42 balls that included nine fours and triggered a period of instability in the Scorchers batting.

Five wickets fell for 20 in the space of 19 balls and Scorchers found themselves needing 22 from the final three overs, before the match came down to Scorchers needing nine from the final over, which was bowled by Australia Women pacer Sarah Coyte.

Jemma Barsby was run-out off the first ball of the over, a dot-ball and three singles followed, as Scorchers struggled against Coyte, the top wicket-taker in the competition.

Needing five off the final ball, Strikers remained in the hunt, as Katie Mack collected in the field, returning the ball to the bowler as Coyte took the bails off, claiming a final wicket, and victory, for her team.

Strikers ended sixth in the preliminary competition on 13 points and Scorchers finished fourth on 14 points and will face chart-toppers Melbourne Stars in the semifinals today in a double-header at North Sydney Oval.

At Drummoyne Oval, batting was once again the bugbear for Hurricanes and Matthews was one of the batters that fell cheaply and sank the Hobart side to four runs for three wickets in the first three overs.

They never fully recovered and were restricted to 115 for nine from their allocation of 20 overs, after they were put in to bat.

New Zealand’s wicketkeeper/batsman Rachel Priest hit 32 and Sasha Moloney gathered the top score of 39, sharing 57 for the third wicket to give the innings a bit of substance.

A late flurry for 24 not out from their captain Corinne Hall pushed them over the 100-run mark, with South Africa  fast bowler Shabnim Ismail taking three for 10 from her allotted four overs and Hannah Darlington grabbing three for 24 from her four overs to be the main destroyers of the Hurricanes batting.

Missing new-ball bowler, Belinda Vakawera, who injured herself in the previous day’s match against Scorchers, a target of 116 was always going to be tough total to defend.

When Hall also came from the field with an injured calf midway the innings, things continued to get worse for Hurricanes.

The Canes rallied as best as they could, but the England Women’s pair of Tammi Beaumont with 22 and Heather Knight with 25 set things up for Thunder and they formalised the result with 19 balls remaining.

Hurricanes ended at the bottom of the eight-team table on eight points, and Thunder finished third on 16 and will meet second-place Brisbane Heat in today’s semi-final double-header at North Sydney Oval.