Storm brewing as Thunder, Heat set for semi-final clash

Sydney Thunder quick Shabnim Ismail will unleash a pace barrage on the Brisbane Heat in the second Rebel WBBL semi-final on Thursday night.

Ismail was at her scintillating best in the Thunder's previous match against the Hurricanes on Sunday, with a fiery opening spell reducing Hobart to 3-4.

Thunder captain Rachael Haynes wants more of the same as her club looks to spoil the Heat's hopes of a third consecutive title.

"That was the quickest I've seen her bowling in a while," Haynes told cricket.com.au this week.

"It was rapid, it was fiery, and you could just tell the batters weren't too comfortable out there.

"When you are on her team and that's happening out in the middle …  you know she's a special player who can take really big wickets so we're hoping she can do more of that."

Brisbane Heat took the points the last time the teams went, a victory that triggered their current seven-match winning run.

This will be new captain Jess Jonassen's first final in charge of the Heat, but she is backing their thorough preparation ahead of the tournament to hold up against whatever the Thunder throw at them.

"We're feeling pretty confident coming off the back of those seven wins, it's been really nice that we've been able to get those results off the back of three losses in a row early on,"

"We knew we weren't too far off during those losses and we've still got a lot to improve on.

"We put in a lot of work behind the scenes up in Brisbane, a lot of scenario-based work that I think has really helped us during this tournament.

"We've been able to come out in a lot of different situations and a lot of different surfaces and have been able to get the job done."

Ismail will look to target in-form Heat opener Georgia Redmayne, who has taken her T20 game to a new level in her first season for Brisbane to be their leading run scorer, helping fill a hole left by the departure of Australia star Beth Mooney.

"She's been fantastic, she's been a really good get for us," Jonassen said of Redmayne.

"I know the work she's put in, particularly into her batting and looking to take that aggressive options and I'm really pleased she's been able to get results and get us off to a good start more often than not at the top."

Squads

Brisbane Heat: Jess Jonassen (c), Maddy Green, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Amelia Kerr, Delissa Kimmince, Laura Kimmince, Nadine de Klerk, Charli Knott, Georgia Prestwidge, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Sippel, Georgia Voll

Sydney Thunder: Rachael Haynes (c), Samantha Arnold, Sam Bates, Tammy Beaumont, Hannah Darlington, Saskia Horley, Shabnim Ismail, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Heather Knight, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Kate Peterson, Lauren Smith, Rachel Trenaman, Tahlia Wilson

Form (Most recent first)

Brisbane Heat: WWWWWWWLLL

Sydney Thunder: WWLWLLLWLW

Head-to-head

Honours were split between the Heat and the Thunder during the regular season, with the Sydney club taking out their first, rain-affected encounter by 14 runs (DLS).

Full scorecard:Sydney Thunder beat Brisbane Heat by 14 runs (DLS)

Batting first under threatening skies, Rachel Trenaman (28) and Tammy Beaumont (30) laid the foundation with a 71-run opening stand, as the Thunder reached 3-80 from 12.1 overs when the heavens opened, forcing a lengthy delay.

Set a revised 45 from five overs to win, the Heat crumbled against a spin-heavy Thunder attack, limited to 7-30 in reply as the Sydney team notched a 14-run (DLS) win.

But the Heat had the last laugh second time around, beating the Thunder by eight wickets with 21 balls remaining.

Full scorecard:Brisbane Heat beat Sydney Thunder by eight wickets

Georgia Redmayne and Amelia Kerr put the Heat back on the winners' list in style, with Kerr's match-turning spell of 4-20 restricted the strong Thunder batting line-up to 9-111.

Redmayne then hit 59 from 45 deliveries, forming a match-winning partnership with 17-year-old allrounder Georgia Voll – who found the boundary five times in run-a-ball 31 not out – and brought up her second half-century from WBBL|06 from 42 deliveries.

It was a much-needed reversal in form from the two-time reigning champions, and kickstarted their current run of seven consecutive victories.

What's been going right?

Coming into the season, the major question mark hanging over the Heat was how they would fill the hole left by Beth Mooney at the top of the order. They were never going to find another tournament-leading run scorer to fill that void but Georgia Redmayne has been outstanding in her best WBBL season to date, scoring 332 runs at a strike rate of 117, while the Heat have consistently found contributions from other members of the batting order, including 17-year-old Georgia Voll and a reborn Laura Kimmince.

With the ball, Amelia Kerr has improved as the tournament has worn on, while Nicola Hancock has proved a valuable addition to the pace attack in the absence of the departed Sammy-Jo Johnson, bringing heat (pardon the pun) to their attack in the power play.

Heather Knight has challenged the likes of Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine for the title of recruit of the season, producing an outstanding campaign with the bat with 403 runs at 127.53, and making useful contributions with her off-spin. She has been well-supported by Rachael Haynes, while Phoebe Litchfield has improved as the tournament has worn on.

Where the Thunder have truly thrived through is with their bowling attack. Shabnim Ismail, Sammy-Jo Johnson and Hannah Darlington are among the form pace bowlers in the competition, while Sam Bates has been outstanding with her left-arm spin.

What hasn't gone to plan?

The Heat have not had the major contributions they would have liked from two of their leading batters in opener Grace Harris, who is averaging 24 with a strike rate of 95.23, and captain Jonassen, who has not reached the same heights as last season, averaging 19.27 and striking at 112. If those two key players can hit their best form at the right time, the Heat's three-peat hopes will get a significant boost.

Likewise, the Thunder have struggled to find consistent inputs from their batters outside of Haynes and Knight. Tammy Beaumont has struggled at times, as has fellow opener Rachel Trenaman, while allrounder Johnson – aside from one outrageous knock of 30 against 13 – has not made the pinch-hitting impact she would have liked.

How can I be there?

All WBBL|06 finals will be played at North Sydney Oval with limited tickets available. Adult tickets are $10, with entry for children 15 and under free. Children will need to redeem a free ticket via Ticketek to gain access to the venue.

Buy your tickets HERE.

How can I watch?

The finals will be broadcast on free-to-air television via 7Mate, while Fox Cricket will simulcast the match, which can also be streamed via Kayo on the Cricket Australia Live app.

For those who like their cricket served up on the radio, ABC Grandstand will cater to all your listening needs.

And if that's not enough, cricket.com.au and the CA Live app will have live scores and highlights of EVERY major moment, as well as replays of every wicket and every boundary in the match centre, plus web, video and social coverage from our crew on the ground.