Another blistering century in back-to-back games for the Hobart Hurricanes wicket-keeper batter Lizelle Lee blew the Strikers away by 28 runs at Bellerive Oval, Hobart, in the 25th match of the Women’s Big Bash League.
The home side, Sydney Sixers led by skipper Ellyse Perry was up against Brisbane Heat led by skipper Jess Jonassen at the North Sydney Oval, Sydney in the 26th match of the tournament.
Melie Kerr triggered the Brisbane Heat collapse after openers Grace Harris and Georgia Redmayne deliver a flying start
The Heat skipper Jess Jonassen won the toss and opted to bat first. The openers, wicket-keeper batter Georgia Redmayne and Grace Harris got their side off to a blazing start with a 63-run opening stand. The pair took the Sixers bowlers all over the park as they scored at an impressive rate of 9 runs an over. Melie Kerr took the wicket of an ominous Grace Harris to provide the first breakthrough for Sydney Sixers.
Wicket-keeper batter Georgia Redmayne soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide another breakthrough for the Sixers. Jemimah Rodrigues was joined by skipper Jess Jonassen at the crease and the duo took their side closer to the 100-run mark with a crucial 26-run partnership. The experienced Ashleigh Gardner sent Jemimah Rodrigues back to the pavilion to provide the 3rd breakthrough for her side.
A horrible collapse saw the Brisbane Heat post a below-par total of 139/9 in their quota of 20 overs. The Heat lost their last six wickets for just 42 runs as openers Grace Harris (39 off 26 balls), Georgia Redmayne (28 off 23 balls), skipper Jess Jonassen (22 off 19 balls), and Laura Harris (12 off 6 balls), were the top scorers with the bat for Brisbane Heat. Melie Kerr (4-0-23-4), Sophie Ecclestone (4-0-18-2), and Ashleigh Gardner (4-0-23-2) were the stand-out performers with the ball for the Sydney Sixers.
A rescue act from the lower order, not enough for the Sixers to get over the line
A top-order collapse pushed the home side Sydney Sixers on the backfoot in their hunt for the 140-run target. Sophie Ecclestone joined wicket-keeper batter Sarah Bryce at the crease with their side in deep trouble at 63/6 in the 13th over of the run chase. The duo took their side closer to the 100-run mark with a 30-run 7th-wicket partnership. The Sydney Sixers were eventually restricted to 127/8 in their quota of 20 overs, eventually falling just 12 runs short of the target.
For a brief moment in the run chase, the pair of Caoimhe Bray and Sophie Ecclestone threatened the Heat to stage a remarkable upset. Wicket-keeper batter Sarah Bryce (30 off 26 balls), Sophie Ecclestone (24* off 18 balls), Maitlan Brown (16 off 11 balls), and Caoimhe Bray (15 off 10 balls) were the key performers with the bat for the Sydney Sixers. Skipper Jess Jonassen (4-0-24-3), Grace Parsons (4-0-18-2), and Shikha Pandey (4-0-25-2) were the key performers with the ball for the Brisbane Heat.
Skipper Jess Jonassen played an instrumental role, scoring 22 (19 balls) with the bat, and returning with match figures of 3/24 (4) with the ball in a crucial victory for the Brisbane Heat. Apart from her all-round contributions, she also completed a couple of catches in the field.
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