Brisbane Heat beat Thunder to reach WBBL final

Daisy Atino

Brisbane Heat will face the Melbourne Renegades in the Women’s Big Bash League final after a nine-wicket win over the Sydney Thunder at the Challenger.

Chasing 134 from 20 overs, the Heat, inspired by Georgia Redmayne and Jemima Rodriguez, secured victory with 28 balls to spare.

Redmayne finished on 53 not out, scoring four to seal the win. Rodrigues scored 43 from 30 balls before retiring with a sprained left wrist.

The final will take place on Sunday (0220 GMT) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The Thunder were in trouble for most of their first innings, dropping to 69-7 in the 14th over as Grace Parsons declared figures of 3-10 in her three overs.

An unbroken partnership of 64 runs by Hannah Darlington (40 not out) and Tanile Peschel (24 not out) off the last 37 balls took the Thunder to 133-7.

The Heat responded with an early setback when starter Grace Harris gave up seven runs.

Wicketkeeper Redmayne was joined in the middle by Rodriguez, who batted despite being injured during the game.

Rodriguez survived scores of nil, 25 and 30 to form a 77-run partnership with Redmayne before retiring due to injury.

Charlie Knott’s 19 not-conceded 16 goals, along with top scorer Redmayne, gave the Heat victory at home.

“Unreal. I think I’m a bit speechless at the moment,” man of the match Parsons told ABC. “What you dream about as a child.

“To get the opportunity to play in the final is something special.”

Renegades are aiming to win their first WBBL title this season after finishing top of the standings.

Champions Challenger Heat are chasing their third WBBL crown, making them the first team to win the competition three times since its inception.

The Women’s Big Bash League 2024–25 season, or WBBL|10 (also known as the Weber Women’s Big Bash League 2024 for sponsorship reasons), is the 10th season of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), a semi-professional women’s domestic Twenty20 cricket competition. in Australia.

The tournament has been running since October 27, 2024, with the final scheduled for December 1, 2024.