Brisbane Heat 134 for 1 (Redmayne 53*, Rodrigues 43 rh, Bates 1-25) beat Sydney Thunder 133 for 7 (Darlington 40*, Peschel 24*, Parsons 3-10) by nine wickets
Redmayne, Rodrigues bury Thunder
Having let slip their stranglehold late in Thunder’s innings, Heat were dealt an early blow after opener Grace Harris was stumped in the second over after having charged at left-arm spinner Samantha Bates.
Rodrigues made the most of a charmed life after being dropped on 0, 25 and 30. Her inventiveness came to the fore, and she combined well in a 75-run second-wicket partnership with Redmayne, who was imperious on the back foot.
But Rodrigues was increasingly in discomfort, before pulling the pin on her innings. Her fitness will be a major talking point ahead of the WBBL final, and also for India’s upcoming ODI series against Australia.
Thunder rue missed chances
Having finished their innings with the momentum, Thunder’s hopes nosedived with dropped catches. Rodrigues was first dropped on 0 by Anilka Learoyd at backward point off Shabnim Ismail, who, later on, herself spilt a chance at mid-off.
Rodrigues’ luck continued when wicketkeeper Tahlia Wilson’s outstretched glove couldn’t stick a tough chance. With that, Thunder’s hopes sank as their season came to a bitter end.
Jonassen in the thick of the action
Rain had fallen in the lead up to the match, and Heat captain Jess Jonassen decided to bowl amid overcast skies. It proved to be the right move, with spin on offer for Charli Knott from the get go. Extra bounce troubled the Thunder batters too.
Knott tied down opener Chamari Athapathth as the pressure intensified on in-form Georgia Voll, who has been called up to the Australia ODI team for the first time. She was out to continue her breakout season, and had extra motivation against Heat, her former team.
Voll looked dangerous, and scored 20 of the total 25 runs in the powerplay. But on the first ball of the fifth over, she chopped on to a wide delivery from seamer Nicola Hancock.
Jonassen had held herself back from the attack until the eighth over, and she timed her entrance perfectly with a first-ball wicket to knock Athapaththu over. Jonassen remained in the thick of the action as she pulled off a terrific catch with her outstreched arms at mid-off to dismiss opposite number Phoebe Litchfield, who, after the drinks break, tried to put the foot down.
Jonassen, however, did struggle at the death amid an onslaught, as her figures took a hit. But she has led from the front during Heat’s purple patch in the backend of the season in a welcome tonic for her after the disappointment of not making Australia’s squad for the recent T20 World Cup.
Darlington, Peschel combine for record stand
Thunder’s batting throughout the season has relied on Voll and Litchfield firing in the top order. But they couldn’t make significant contributions in the Challenger against Heat, and Thunder’s middle order completely fell apart, as a succession of batters failed to execute aggressive strokes.
They appeared set to be humiliated for a total under 100, but Thunder took the power surge in the 16th over, and Peschel effectively threw the bat. She was soon overtaken by Darlington, who targeted the region down the ground in devastating fashion, as they combined to lift Thunder to an unlikely total. But it ultimately proved not nearly enough.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth
