Ellyse Perry answered and then fuelled her critics in equal measure as the Melbourne Renegades easily beat the Sydney Sixers.
Six days after Sixers coach Ben Sawyer fiercely Perry's form, the Sydney captain did not bowl herself in Sunday's seven-wicket loss at Launceston's University of Tasmania Stadium.
It is only the sixth time in Perry's 87 WBBL games that the star Australian all-rounder has not bowled and again puts the focus on her below-par form with the ball.
The Sixers said Perry was not injured and her not bowling was a tactical decision.
But Perry was outstanding with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 50 from 51 balls to rescue the Sixers' innings.
Sydney crashed to 3-12 before Perry and Nicole Bolton (38) combined for an 80-run stand that was the backbone of their 4-118.
It never looked enough as Renegades opener Eve Jones top-scored with 38 and Harmanpreet Kaur finished the game with successive sixes at the end of the 17th over.
Kaur's unbeaten 35 from 29 balls took Melbourne to 3-120 and a share of the top of the ladder.
The Renegades, Adelaide Strikers and Brisbane Heat all have 2-1 records, while the Sixers are 2-2.
Earlier, Darcie Brown's hat-trick was not enough to save the Adelaide Strikers at Launceston's Invermay Park as the Brisbane Heat inflicted their first loss of the season by five runs.
Brown's hat-trick is the first by an Adelaide player in the WBBL and the sixth in the competition's history.
Heat captain Jess Jonassen was also on a hat-trick, but she decided not to bowl herself again in the weather-affected match, which was reduced to 11 overs per side.
Brown, who made her Australian Test debut last month, struck in the sixth over.
Opener Georgia Redmayne mis-timed her pull shot and holed out to deep square leg for 28.
Then Ellie Johnston skied a shot to mid-on for nine before Laura Kimmince was caught at fine leg to give Brown her hat-trick.
Georgia Voll belted an unbeaten 31 from 17 balls, with two fours and two sixes, to steady the innings and take the Heat to 5-104.
Brown took 3-28 off three overs and Sarah Coyte snared 2-19 from two overs.
Openers Dane Van Niekerk and Laura Woolvardt had Adelaide on target at 0-68 in the eighth over when Jonassen struck her double blow.
Her lbw dismissal of Van Niekerk for 24 was debatable, given the South African was down the track.
But there was no doubt about her crucial strike with the next ball, having Adelaide captain Tahlia McGrath caught and bowled for a golden duck.
Georgia Prestwidge had Woolvardt caught attempting a big hit for 54 from only 30 balls, including five fours and three sixes.
Coyte and Amanda-Jade Wellington needed 18 from Adelaide's last over, but opening bowler Nicola Hancock saw Brisbane home and the Strikers ended on 4-99.
