Adelaide Strikers beat Brisbane Heat to win Women’s Big Bash League
Adelaide Strikers beat Brisbane Heat to become back-to-back Women’s Big Bash League winners.
Strikers reached 125-5 from their 20 overs, with Laura Wolvaardt (39) and captain Tahlia McGrath (38) producing the only scores of note.
But controlled bowling limited Heat to 122-8, with Amanda-Jade Wellington’s two wickets in the final over sealing victory by three runs.
“That is the definition of a team performance right there,” McGrath said.
“We keep showing up, we’re such a special team.”
McGrath took two wickets and was aided by Wellington’s 3-16 and Megan Schutt (2-30), while Jemma Barsby only went for 1-15 from three overs.
It meant Heat needed 13 from the final over with six wickets down and were still in the game with Amelia Kerr unbeaten on 30 at one end.
A six from Mikayla Hinkley gave brief hope but after she became Wellington’s third victim – and second in the over – Nicola Hancock needed a boundary from the final ball to avoid defeat.
Hancock had earlier helped to limit Adelaide’s score when taking 3-23 but could only manage a single with the bat, sparking jubilation among the Strikers players.
They had qualified directly for the final after finishing six points clear of second-placed Perth Scorchers at the top of the table in the group stages.
Heat, who finished third, beat fourth-placed Sydney Thunder in the Eliminator and then comfortably defeated Scorchers in the Challenger to book their spot.
There were no capped England players involved after Strikers’ Danielle Gibson and Heat’s Bess Heath left to prepare for the tour of India, which begins on Wednesday.
Georgia Adams did play for Strikers though, and won a fourth trophy of the year after playing for Southern Brave in their Hundred success and captaining Southern Vipers to the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup titles. (BBC)
