No turning down the Heat as Brisbane eye shot at redemption

Last year, the Heat fell around one metre short of an unprecedented third WBBL title.

Mikayla Hinkley had just dispatched Amanda-Jade Wellington for six at Adelaide Oval, leaving Brisbane needing five runs off the final two balls to take out the WBBL|09 decider.

The hard-hitting right-hander tried to go again next ball, but she was instead caught by Jemma Barsby on the rope, and the Heat lost the final by three runs.

It left the Heat heartbroken, having earlier put themselves in the box seat by restricting the Strikers to 5-125.

Now, the two-time champions have another shot at glory after thrashing Sydney Thunder in Friday’s Challenger final and will fly to Melbourne on Saturday on a six-game winning streak and full of confidence.

"We've been a pretty successful team over a long period of time," Redmayne told reporters on Friday.

"It was really nice not being in the Knockout final this year, we've done that the last three years, so it makes the schedule a little bit better.

"And it's nice to still get a little bit of momentum with the win before Sunday."

For Heat stalwarts Jess Jonasse, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Sunday’s final will be a chance to lift the trophy for a third time.

But for the remainder of the squad, including Redmayne, this would be their first shot at playing in a winning final, having all joined the club or debuted after that most recent win in 2019.

"We're going to need a whole team performance and we've had that all throughout the season," Redmayne said.

"We've had so many people stand up, a lot of new players playing their first full season at WBBL, Grace Parsons got player of the match today in her first season.

"It's really nice to see those players come through.

"I think there was a lot of concern from people outside our group that we were going to be a lot weaker this year, but I don't think we ever doubted once.

"Parso had been ready to go for years, Lucy (Hamilton’s) really grown into herself, and just hits such a hard length as a batter."

Redmayne, whose highest score of WBBL|10 coming into Friday night’s Challenger was 44, and who had passed double figures only five times in 10 regular-season innings, said she hoped she had hit form at the right time.

"I've had a bit of an up-and-down season so it's nice to hit some form," Redmayne said.

"Yesterday I was sitting down and having a chat with a couple of players and saying it doesn't matter about what comes before, it's just about these two matches.

"So, you can almost have a bit of a mental reset."

WBBL|10 Finals

The Knockout: Sydney Thunder beat Hobart Hurricanes by six wickets

The Challenger: Brisbane Heat beat Sydney Thunder by nine wickets

The Final: Melbourne Renegades v Brisbane Heat | MCG | Sunday, December 1 at 1.20pm AEDT

Grab your tickets or tune in on the Seven Network, 7Plus, Fox Cricket, Kayo or ABC and SEN radio

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