Scorchers in box seat to host final after Gades stumble

Perth Scorchers are all-but guaranteed to finish on top of the table and advance directly to the Weber WBBL final, after Melbourne Renegades suffered a 43-run defeat to Brisbane Heat in Mackay.

The Renegades fell well short in their pursuit of the Heat's 5-156, their cause not helped when leading run scorer Harmanpreet Kau was unwell and unable to take part in the chase.

 

They cannot be dislodged from the top two, but the heavy defeat means the Renegades finish the season on 18 points with a net run rate of -0.091; also troubling is the nature of their back-to-back defeats to end the regular season after a 52-run loss to Hobart Hurricanes on Friday.

The Scorchers, who play their final match against Sydney Sixers on Sunday morning, are also on 18 points and have a NRR of 0.599; it would take an enormous loss to the Sixers for them to drop below the Renegades.

If the top two does remain the same, the Scorchers will host the final in Perth next Saturday, while the Renegades would play off in The Challenger on Thursday, against the winner of Wednesday's Eliminator between the Heat and the Strikers.

The venue for the mid-week finals is yet to be confirmed, but it cannot be in Melbourne due to border restrictions; the Renegades would not have been able to host the final either, due to the potential their opponent may not be able to travel home after the game.

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On Saturday night, their hopes of bouncing back from Friday's loss were thwarted by wicketkeeper-batter Georgia Redmayne, who struck her fourth half-century of the season.

While Sophie Molineux claimed the huge wicket of Grace Harris (12) early, Redmayne joined with Georgia Voll (41) to put on 82 runs for the second wicket, their stand coming to an end when Voll fell to Rhiann O'Donnell.

Redmayne's 51-ball innings ended on 71 in the 17th over, as she moved to second on the WBBL|07 runs table behind Scorchers star Beth Mooney.

Laura Kimmince (7) and Mikayla Hinkley (3) fell cheaply as the Heat lost 3-8, and after they had looked on track for a 170+ total, they were forced to settle for 5-156.

However, it proved more than enough.

Josie Dooley was the top scorer for the Renegades, hitting a 27-ball 35, as they struggled to find a match-winning partnership.

With Kaur, who bowled three overs in the Heat batting innings, absent from the chase due to illness, their other stars could not fire, Jemimah Rodrigues (3), Eve Jones (17), Courtney Webb (7), Jess Duffin (7) and Sophie Molineux (2) unable to make a significant impact.

Leading wicket taker Jess Jonassen (3-26) added another three wickets to her tally for the season, while the economical Nicola Hancock (1-12 off three) set the tone for the innings.