Heat set up Strikers showdown in WBBL Final

The result: Melbourne Renegades 4-163 (Dooley 50*, Duffin 44; Jonassen 1-25) lost to Brisbane Heat 6-165 (Green 46, Harris 42, Jonassen 38; Strano 4-28) by four wickets with 12 balls remaining at Allan Border Field, Brisbane 

The match in a tweet: We have a Heat v Strikers final! Brisbane flex their batting depth as Harris, Green and Jonassen pull off a stunning run chase to break the Renegades’ hearts

The hero: Jess Jonassen, what a player! The star allrounder picked up the key wicket of Jess Duffin before hitting a 23-ball 38 to keep the Heat’s hopes of back-to-back titles alive and kicking.
First, the left-arm spinner removed Duffin (44) in the 19th over of the first innings, drawing her out of her crease before wicketkeeper Beth Mooney whipped off the bails just as the Renegades captain was looking to up the ante late in the innings.

Then with the bat, Jonassen joined in what was ultimately a display of the Heat’s incredible batting depth, playing a key innings alongside opener Maddy Green and the explosive Grace Harris. She came to the crease at a tricky time after off-spinner Molly Strano removed openers Green and Mooney with back-to-back deliveries. If she was flustered, it did not show as she continued what’s been her best Big Bash yet with the bat. 

The Harris factor: Grace Harris has not been at her damaging best with the bat in WBBL|05 but she certainly saved her best yet for the semi-final, smashing a 27-ball 42.  The hard-hitting allrounder cleared the boundary four times – to the delight of the vocal Allan Border Field crowd – as she punished a wayward Renegades’ attack. She shared an 80-run stand with Jonassen to douse any hopes of a Renegades win after Strano’s double-strike. 

The opening act: It has not happened often in WBBL|05, but Heat opener and leading run scorer Mooney found herself outshone when partner Green produced a stunning 46 from 29 deliveries. Finding the boundary with ease, the hard-hitting New Zealander laid the perfect foundation for a long Heat batting line-up before she holed out on the boundary in the eighth over.

The consolation efforts: In what was a difficult innings in the field, Renegades off-spinner Strano was the shining light. She copped some early punishment from Green, hit for 19 runs from the first eight balls she bowled, but in the space of two deliveries removed both Heat openers. Later, she returned to remove Jonassen and Laura Harris (0) in the space of three balls, finishing with 4-28.
Earlier, an 80-run stand between Josie Dooley (50no) and Duffin (44) gave the Renegades a hefty total to defend. Dooley – elevated to No.3 in the absence of English international Tammy Beaumont – made the most of her chance to score a 42-ball half-century, her first in the Big Bash. Duffin’s knock was one of her more streaky of the tournament as she rode her luck to a 35-ball 44, before being stumped in the 19th over.

The Final: The Heat will meet the Adelaide Strikers at Allan Border Field tomorrow at 1.40pm local time (2.40pm AEDT). The match will be broadcast on free-to-air television on 7mate, with coverage also on Fox Cricket, Kayo and via the CA Live app, or listen on ABC radio.

Heat XI: Beth Mooney, Maddy Green, Jess Jonassen, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Kirby Short (c), Amelia Kerr, Delissa Kimmince, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Mikayla Hinkley, Georgia Prestwidge

Renegades XI: Chamari Athapatththu, Anna Lanning, Jess Duffin (c), Courtney Webb, Josie Dooley (wk), Georgia Wareham, Molly Strano, Erica Kershaw, Maitlan Brown, Carly Lesson, Lea Tahuhu