Hayley Matthews was the hero for the Melbourne Renegades as they defeated Brisbane Heat by seven runs to be crowned as the WBBL champions for the first time ever.
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It was the Renegades’ sixth consecutive win and by far the most important in the club’s history as their score of 141 proved to be too much for the Heat to chase, despite a persistent Jess Jonassen (44 not out) which made the Victorian fans nervous.
Matthews was named the player of the match as the powerful top-order batter blasted eight boundaries on the way to 69 off 61 balls – the highest individual score ever in a WBBL grand final.
Eight teammates came and went while Matthews stood at the MCG crease. And despite great pressure, she built her innings beautifully, steering her side to a defendable total.
MATCH CENTRE: Renegades vs Heat WBBL final scorecard and more
Renegades v Heat: WBBL FINAL Highlights | 13:59
When the Renegades lost two early wickets in the powerplay and Dottin for a duck, Matthews had the weight of the world on her shoulders and was feeling the pressure.
The West Indian star was six off 15 deliveries and not timing the ball like she usually does. The Renegades were 3-31 and the 26-year-old had played and missed two consecutive balls from Grace Parsons. Something had to give.
And it did. Matthews found the rope the following ball with a slog sweep and was gifted with another boundary late in the over as Nicola Hancock misfielded a ball near the boundary which helped get the talented all-rounder going.
From there, she controlled the innings and while she had her fair share of luck, she was the saviour for the home team.
But she wasn’t done yet as she put on a clinic with the ball taking 2-24 off three overs.
Wet conditions halt play
The rain held off for the first innings of the final, but the dark clouds rolled over the MCG during the innings break and the rain began to come down, stopping play for about 30 minutes.
The Heat were 2-19 off 3.2 overs when the covers were laid down.
The innings was restricted to 12 overs after the loss of time with 98 needed to win via the DLS method – the batting powerplay was reduced to one over.
The Brisbane top order didn’t put up much of a fight as Grace Harris (duck) and Jemimah Rodrigues (one) were both sent packing before the rain delay.
Things didn’t get any better for the Heat as they lost Georgia Redmayne (16) six balls after play resumed.
Diamond Dottin
It was a nightmare dismissal for Renegades’ game-changer Deandra Dottin as she fell agonisingly short of her crease and was given out without facing a ball.
It was just the third diamond duck of the season as the international talent walked back to the sheds just minutes after making her way out to the middle, leaving the Renegades reeling at 3-23.
While it appeared the bat got stuck in the grass as she attempted to make her ground, it was lazy running from Dottin who, after hesitation, casually jogged through for a single, lacking great intensity. The sort of intensity that is required in big games like this.
Credit goes to Brisbane young gun Charli Knott who picked the ball up cleanly and threw it to Dottin’s end as Georgia Redmayne swiftly removed the bails.
It was an anti-climactic dismissal as a silence fell over the stadium with the home fans struggling to comprehend what they’d just witnessed.
Fielding woes for Heat
While the Brisbane Heat started well and claimed early wickets, they let themselves down with a couple of poor moments in the field.
The first was four overthrows which handed Sophie Molineux the perfect start to her innings after a wayward throw from Laura Harris turned a single into five for the Renegades skipper.
Heat captain Jess Jonassen threw her arms up in frustration as she tried to chase down the ball which eventually beat her to the rope.
The other moment which the Heat would’ve loved to take back was a misfield from Nicola Hancock just inside the boundary, which helped Matthews get her innings going.
Knott bad at all
Charli Knott has been crucial with the bat this season helping Brisbane Heat in its search for redemption, but it was her exceptional bowling which led the way on Sunday.
The 22-year-old took 3-28 off her four overs and also produced a special piece of fielding when she ran out Deandra Dottin for zero.
Knott had taken just three wickets for the season before she picked up the crucial wickets of Sophie Molineux (six), Georgia Prestwidge (one) and eventually Hayley Matthews (69) in the final.
Heat captain Jess Jonassen was another star performer for the visitors and gave her side a late shot at victory with an unbeaten knock of 44, also contributing 1-25 with the ball.
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