WBBL final locked in as historic stand wiped out in Heat destruction

Brisbane Heat’s wave of WBBL momentum has carried them into Sunday’s competition decider against the Melbourne Renegades at the MCG.

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The Heat secured a sixth successive victory – a nine-wicket thrashing of the Sydney Thunder – in Friday’s night do-or-die Challenger Final at Allan Border Field.

Sent into bat by Heat captain Jess Jonassen, the Thunder were in huge trouble at 7-69 before a WBBL record eighth-wicket partnership of 64 runs between Hannah Darlington (40 not out off 29 balls) and Taneale Peschel (24 not out off 16 balls) lifted the visitors to a seemingly competitive 7-139 from 20 overs.

However, after losing the early wicket of opener Grace Harris (7), the Heat were never troubled, thanks mainly to a 75-run partnership between Georgia Redmayne and Jemimah Rodrigues, that only came to an end when Indian star Rodrigues (43 not out from 30 balls) retired hurt at the end of the 10th over with a hand injury.

However, that couldn’t stop Brisbane’s charge to the final, with the hosts scoring the winning runs in the 16th over to finish at 1-134.

Redmayne top-scored with an unbeaten 50 off 41 balls while Charli Knott chipped in with a handy 19 off 16 balls.

Earlier, the Thunder had made a steady start, with openers Georgia Voll and Chamari Athapaththu taking the score to 25 without the loss of a wicket after the four power play overs.

However, former Heat batter Voll’s innings ended on the first delivery of the fifth over when she was bowled by medium pacer Nicola Hancock for 20 off 16 balls.

Athapaththu followed 17 runs later when she was bowled by star spinner Jonassen, who deceived the Sri Lankan batter with a superbly flighted delivery.

Sensing the chance to take total control of the contest, the Heat turned up the pressure on the visitors, who crumbled.

Emerging leg-spinner Grace Parsons was the main destroyer for the Heat with the ball, claiming the wickets of Tahlia Wilson (3), Phoebe Litchfield (15) and Anika Learoyd (9).

Parsons finished with 3-10 but wasn’t given a fourth over by Jonassen.

The Thunder showed late-order resistance, with Darlington and Peschel taking advantage of some ordinary Heat bowling to give the Thunder some hope.

However, it ended up being nothing more than false hope thanks mainly to the batting performances of Redmayne and Rodrigues.