Brisbane Heat 134 for 1 (Redmayne 53*, Rodrigues 43 rh, Bates 1-25) beat Sydney Thunder 133 for 7 (Darlington 40*, Peschel 24*, Parsons 3-10) by nine wickets
Redmayne, Rodrigues bury Thunder
Having let slip their stranglehold late in Thunder’s innings, Heat were dealt an early blow after opener Grace Harris was stumped in the second over after having charged at left-arm spinner Samantha Bates.
Rodrigues made the most of a charmed life after being dropped on 0, 25 and 30. Her inventiveness came to the fore, and she combined well in a 75-run second-wicket partnership with Redmayne, who was imperious on the back foot.
But Rodrigues was increasingly in discomfort, before pulling the pin on her innings. Her fitness will be a major talking point ahead of the WBBL final, and also for India’s upcoming ODI series against Australia.
Thunder rue missed chances
Having finished their innings with the momentum, Thunder’s hopes nosedived with dropped catches. Rodrigues was first dropped on 0 by Anilka Learoyd at backward point off Shabnim Ismail, who, later on, herself spilt a chance at mid-off.
Rodrigues’ luck continued when wicketkeeper Tahlia Wilson’s outstretched glove couldn’t stick a tough chance. With that, Thunder’s hopes sank as their season came to a bitter end.
Jonassen in the thick of the action
Rain had fallen in the lead up to the match, and Heat captain Jess Jonassen decided to bowl amid overcast skies. It proved to be the right move, with spin on offer for Charli Knott from the get go. Extra bounce troubled the Thunder batters too.
Knott tied down opener Chamari Athapathth as the pressure intensified on in-form Georgia Voll, who has been called up to the Australia ODI team for the first time. She was out to continue her breakout season, and had extra motivation against her former team.
Full report to follow…
