The Brisbane Heat led by skipper Jess Jonassen delivered a thrashing knockout punch to the Perth Scorchers led by skipper Sophie Devine in the Challenger as they defeated them by a comprehensive margin of 67 runs. The opening batter Grace Harris was awarded the Player of the Match for her match-winning performance (54 off 33 balls) with the bat.
On the other hand, the Adelaide Strikers led by skipper Tahlia McGrath finished at the top of the points table with 22 points with 11 victories in 14 games, and as a result, they booked a place for themselves in the final in Adelaide. The Brisbane Heat led by skipper Jess Jonassen were all set to face the Adelaide Strikers led by skipper Tahlia McGrath in a grand finale in the 9th edition of the Women’s Big Bash League.
The Adelaide Strikers led by skipper Tahlia McGrath won the toss and opted to bat first. The Adelaide Strikers openers got off to a poor start, losing Katie Mack in the second over of the innings. Nicola Hancock provided the first breakthrough for the Brisbane Heat. Skipper Tahlia McGrath joined Laura Wolvaardt at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 66-run partnership for the second wicket before Nicola Hancock cleaned up the opposition skipper Tahlia McGrath to provide the big breakthrough for the Brisbane Heat.
Wicket-keeper batter Bridget Patterson joined Laura Wolvaardt at the crease and the duo stitched a 24-run partnership for the third wicket before skipper Jess Jonassen picked up the crucial wicket of Laura Wolvaardt to provide the third breakthrough. She was anchoring the innings and was all set to launch a counterattack in the death overs of the innings. The Adelaide Strikers lost a couple of wickets in quick succession and found themselves at 108/5 in the 18th over of the innings.
The Adelaide Strikers eventually ended up with a total of 125/5 in their quota of overs which could prove to be a competitive total on a tricky surface. Laura Wolvaardt (39 off 33 balls) and skipper Tahlia McGrath (38 off 34 balls) were the top performers with the bat for the Adelaide Strikers. Nicola Hancock (3/23), Georgia Voll (1/19), and skipper Jess Jonassen (1/19) were the top performers with the ball for the Brisbane Heat.
Brisbane Heat puts up a strong bowling display, restricting Adelaide Strikers to 125 runs!
Brisbane Heat's chase for the 3rd WBBL title is on. Can they seal the deal? 🔥#CricketTwitter #WBBL09 | 📸: Getty pic.twitter.com/xSeTWPK67C
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) December 2, 2023
Chasing a target of 126, the Brisbane Heat openers got off to a good start scoring at 6 runs per over, before Jemma Barsby picked up the big wicket of Grace Harris to provide the first breakthrough for the Adelaide Strikers. Amelia Kerr joined wicket-keeper batter Georgia Redmayne at the crease and the duo failed to form a substantial partnership as they lost the wicket of their wicket-keeper batter Georgia Redmayne in the 8th over of the run chase. The leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington provided the second breakthrough for the Adelaide Strikers.
Mignon du Preez joined Amelia Kerr at the crease and the duo stitched a 19-run partnership for the third wicket before skipper Tahlia McGrath struck twice in two balls to land a double blow to the Brisbane Heat’s hopes in a tricky run chase. The Brisbane Heat found themselves at 62/4 in the 13th over of the run chase. Skipper Jess Jonassen joined Charlie Knott at the crease and the duo stitched a 34-run partnership for the fifth wicket before Megan Schutt picked up the crucial wicket of Charlie Knott to provide the fifth breakthrough for the Adelaide Strikers.
WINNING MOMENT!! 😍
Adelaide Strikers secure their second consecutive WBBL 09 win! 🔥#CricketTwitter #WBBL09 pic.twitter.com/7hisbnNXfw
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) December 2, 2023
The Brisbane Heat suffered a mini-collapse as they lost their next three wickets for just 25 runs. The Brisbane Heat were eventually restricted to 122/8 in their quota of overs as they fell 3-run short of the target. Amelia Kerr (30 off 32 balls), wicket-keeper batter Georgia Redmayne (22 off 22 balls), and Charlie Knott (20 off 14 balls) were the top performers with the bat for the Brisbane Heat. Amelia Kerr stayed unbeaten right till the end but couldn’t take her side over the line courtesy of a lack of support from the other end. Amanda-Jade Wellington (3/16), Megan Schutt (2/30), and skipper Tahlia McGrath (2/16) were the top performers with the ball for the Adelaide Strikers.
𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤-𝐭𝐨-𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬! 🏆
Adelaide Strikers secure their 2nd consecutive WBBL title in a thrilling final, winning by 3 runs! 🎉🔥#CricketTwitter #WBBL09 | 📸: Getty pic.twitter.com/P8kExMaGI5
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) December 2, 2023
The leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington was awarded the Player of the Match for her match-winning spell (3/16) with the ball. She played a crucial role with the ball in helping the Adelaide Strikers get over the line by three runs defending a low total in the final. After not being able to get the silverware in the first seven years, the Adelaide Strikers are finally living up to their potential as they clinched back-to-back Women’s Big Bash League titles under the leadership of Tahlia McGrath. The Sydney Thunder opening batter Chamari Athapathu was awarded the Player of the tournament for scoring 552 runs with the bat and she also picked up 9 wickets with the ball for the Sydney Thunder throughout the tournament.
Amanda Jade Wellington stands out, securing the Player of the Match in the WBBL Finals! 🌟#CricketTwitter #WBBL09 | 📸: Getty pic.twitter.com/UnqizdFwxv
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) December 2, 2023
