Brisbane Heat, riding high on a five-game winning streak, are set to host the Sydney Thunder this Friday, 29 November, in the WBBL10 Challenger at Allan Border Field. With a spot in Sunday’s final against the Melbourne Renegades at stake, both teams are gearing up for a thrilling contest—first ball is at 7:15 p.m.
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Local stars drive Heat’s finals charge
Despite pre-season doubts following significant roster changes, the Heat have silenced their critics by storming into their seventh consecutive finals series. Captain Jess Jonassen attributes their success to a strong Queensland core, emerging talent, and an international superstar.
“I think the only people that were concerned were those from outside these walls,” Jonassen says. “I feel like we’ve proved a few of the doubters wrong, but we’re by no means done proving that point.”
The Heat’s resilience has shone through rising stars like Lucy Hamilton, who has claimed 10 wickets in her last three games, and Grace Parsons, with seven wickets in her debut season. The team’s local backbone remains intact with the dynamic duo of Georgia Redmayne and Grace Harris at the top of the order, supported by Laura Harris and Charli Knott in the middle.
India’s Shikha Pandey has also been a key addition, earning recognition as the sole Heat player named in the Team of the Tournament. “Having the international class of someone like Shikha Pandey around, who can talk fast bowling, talk tactics, talk plans… that’s something that’s really added a lot of value to our pace bowling attack,” Jonassen added.
Thunder bring former Heat star home
Adding to the excitement is the return of Georgia Voll, who left the Heat for the Thunder to seek more opportunities. The 21-year-old opener, named in the Team of the Tournament and fresh from her first Australian ODI call-up, faces her former teammates on home turf.
“I always wanted to open—you look at Grace Harris and Georgia Redmayne, they’ve done the job for the Heat over the last couple of years.”
“It was always going to be tough for me to nail down a spot, and last year I was up and down the order, which was quite tough.”
Momentum points to thriller in WBBL10 Challenger
The Thunder enter the match buoyed by their victory over the Hobart Hurricanes in The Knockout, while the Heat have strung together five consecutive wins since their last defeat—ironically, against the Thunder on 7 November. In that match, Sam Bates claimed four wickets, and Phoebe Litchfield’s explosive 40 off 25 balls proved decisive.
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With light rain forecast for Friday in Brisbane, the match is expected to proceed as scheduled, with the first ball at 7:15 p.m. AEDT. If weather intervenes, the higher-ranked Heat will advance to the final.
Brisbane faithful are in for an electric atmosphere at Allan Border Field—with the Heat chasing their fourth WBBL final in seven years and the Thunder eyeing their first finals appearance since WBBL06, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Published 28-November-2024
