Sydney Thunder, led by skipper Phoebe Litchfield, in search of revival in the ongoing 11th edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), were up against Brisbane Heat, led by skipper Jess Jonassen, who themselves are having a horrible start to their campaign, with a hat-trick of defeats. The clash was set to take place at the Allan Border Field, Brisbane.
The Brisbane Heat called up Lauren Winfield-Hill as a temporary backup for India’s pocket dynamite Jemimah Rodrigues, as she flew back to India to attend her best friend and national teammate Smriti Mandhana’s wedding. Annie O Neil made her way into the side, replacing Grace Harris in the starting 11. For the Sydney Thunder, Emily Arlott replaced Chamari Athapaththu in the starting 11.
The Thunder openers, Georgia Voll and wicket-keeper batter Tahlia Wilson, came out all guns blazing, with a 55-run opening stand after the Heat skipper Jess Jonassen won the toss and inserted them to bat first at the Allan Border Field. Jess Jonassen picked up the wicket of Georgia Voll (20 off 14 balls) in the 6th over of the innings to provide the first breakthrough for her side.
Tahlia Wilson held fort at one end, capitalizing on the loose deliveries as skipper Phoebe Litchfield (31 off 19 balls), Heather Knight (41 off 24 balls), and Anika Learoyd (13* off 9 balls) chipped in with power-packed cameos, as the Sydney Thunder ended their innings exactly on 200/6 in their quota of 20 overs. Tahlia Wilson registered her 2nd consecutive half-century, 79 (51 balls), and top-scored with the bat for Sydney Thunder.
En route to her knock, which included 8 boundaries and a couple of maximums, she also surpassed 1,000 WBBL runs. Nadine de Klerk (4-0-34-2) and Nicola Hancock (4-0-41-2) picked up a couple of wickets each with the ball for Brisbane Heat. Lucy Hamilton (4-0-28-1) and skipper Jess Jonassen (4-0-35-1) played their part with the ball for their side.
Chasing a challenging total of 201, Brisbane Heat got off to a disappointing start as they were reduced to 64/5 in the 9th over of the run chase. Brisbane Heat managed 31 runs in the mandatory powerplay of four overs. Mikayla Wrigley joined Nadine de Klerk at the crease, and the duo forged a fightback with a solid 49-run partnership for the 6th wicket, which also took them past the 100-run mark.
Emily Arlott, the English all-rounder making her WBBL debut, broke the stand, by sending Mikayla Wrigley (13 off 14 balls) back to the pavilion in the 14th over of the innings. Arlott struck again to send Sianna Ginger back to the pavilion for a golden duck. However, she missed out on a hat-trick.
Nadine de Klerk (43 off 27 balls) ignited the momentum in the run chase. However, her departure in the 15th over of the innings saw the Heat staring at a heavy hammering. Nonetheless, a gritty display of character from Nicola Hancock (15* off 13 balls) and Annie O’Neill (22 off 14 balls) pushed the total past the 150-run mark and limited the damage with a vital 38-run stand for the 9th wicket.
Brisbane Heat were eventually bundled out for 159, with five balls to spare. As a result, they fell 41 runs short of the target. Skipper Jess Jonassen (16 off 7 balls) and Charli Knott (11 off 6 balls) chipped in with handy cameos; however, it wasn’t enough for them to register their first win of the ongoing 11th edition of the tournament.
Emily Arlott (4-0-35-3), Samantha Bates (4-0-23-2), and Georgia Voll (3.1-0-28-2) were the star performers with the ball for Sydney Thunder. Tahlia Wilson bagged her 2nd consecutive Player of the Match award courtesy of another match-defining impact with the gloves as well as with the bat (79 off 51 balls).
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