A boundary-laden fifty (54 off 33 balls) by Player of the Match (POTM) Grace Harris guided Brisbane Heat into the final of the ongoing Women's Big Bash League season 9 as they thrashed Perth Scorchers by 67 runs in the Challenger at the W.A.C.A. Ground in Perth on Wednesday, November 29.
The win over Scorchers presents Heat with the opportunity to become the first team in the history of the WBBL competition to claim three titles. However, the road to their third elusive title is certainly not going to be easy as Heat are to take on Adelaide Strikers, the most successful team of the season as their final hurdle.
The Challenger witnessed a domineering display from Heat as the Harris sisters came together to power them into the summit clash. Grace led the charge with the willow in hand after her skipper Jess Jonassen won the toss and decided to make the most of the batting conditions on offer.
Grace batted at a strike rate of 163.63 and smacked the Perth bowlers for 10 fours and a maximum to help Heat keep their noses in front in the clash. Her power-packed performance was followed by some big-hitting masterclass from Laura (24 off 11 balls) and Charli Knott (32* off 14 deliveries) which propelled Heat to an imposing 197 at the end.
The pressure of chasing a big total told on Scorchers as they didn't get off to a good start. They lost three of their most experienced batters inside the first nine overs in the form of Lauren Winfield-Hill, Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine and were reeling at 62 for the loss of four wickets.
Their star allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt (36 runs off 27 balls) tried to script fightback but perished from the weight of a consistently mounting asking rate. Off-spinner Georgia Voll was the star with the ball in hand for Heat as she conceded just 19 runs in her four overs and bagged a four-for.
