The eleventh edition of the Women’s Big Bash League began with a statement performance from the defending champions, Melbourne Renegades Women, who cruised to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Brisbane Heat Women in a rain-reduced contest at Allan Border Field on November 9.
Leading from the front, Georgia Wareham produced a spectacular all-round display — taking 3/12, holding two catches, and then calmly guiding the chase with an unbeaten 16 off 13 balls as the Renegades chased down the revised target of 66 in just 7.3 overs.
Put in to bat first, the Heat never found their rhythm against a disciplined Renegades attack. Early breakthroughs saw Charli Knott (4 off 12) and Jemimah Rodrigues (6 off 9) fall cheaply, leaving the middle order to rebuild. Nadine de Klerk stood firm with a composed 40 off 38 balls, striking five fours and a six, while Chinelle Henry provided a spark with a brisk 29 off 22 that included four fours and one six. However, regular wickets at key moments halted any momentum, with only Georgia Redmayne’s 16 off 12 offering some lower-order resistance.
Wareham was outstanding with the ball, her clever variations yielding 3 for 12 from four overs while also pulling off two sharp catches. She found excellent support from Tess Flintoff (3/30) and Alice Capsey (3/22), as the Renegades combined to dismiss the Heat for 133 in 20 overs, wrapping up the innings in the final over.
Rain then intervened, reducing the Renegades’ chase to eight overs with a revised target of 66 under the DLS method. The visitors suffered an early blow when Davina Perrin fell for a duck to Lucy Hamilton on the very first ball, but the setback barely slowed their charge.
Courtney Webb played the innings of intent, hammering an unbeaten 34 off 22 balls with five fours at a blistering strike rate of 154.54. Short cameos from Deandra Dottin (8 off 4) and Alice Capsey (5 off 5) kept the scoreboard ticking before skipper Wareham (16* off 13) finished the job in style, sealing victory with nine balls to spare.
Among the bowlers, Sianna Ginger impressed for Brisbane with 2/16 in her two overs, while Lucy Hamilton took one wicket. But the Renegades’ aggressive approach and Wareham’s composure left no room for a comeback.
It was a fitting start to the Renegades’ title defense, headlined by Georgia Wareham’s Player of the Match performance — 16* (13), 3/12, and 2 catches — setting the tone for what could be another dominant campaign.
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