Not wanting to leave a mountain to climb for their middle-order like in their previous fixtures, Heat openers Grace Harris and Georgia Redmayne tried to go all guns blazing from ball one. However, it did not go as they planned as Harris skied a length ball off Natalie Sciver to Katherine Brunt at deep mid-wicket for a 12-ball 8.
Skipper Jessica Jonassen and Redmayne tried to keep them in the chase with occasional boundaries. Jonassen cut loose after the powerplay as she hit a hat-trick of boundaries off Holly Ferling. She drove, flicked and sliced Ferling around the park.
Brought in to break the partnership, Alana King did not disappoint her captain Meg Lanning. Jonassen tried to cut King against the spin and was caught at point by Ferling for 35 from 19 balls.
ALSO READ: No chance, not a problem – Murali Anagha had her Women’s T20 Challenge goal fulfilled Georgia Voll, who joined Redmayne in the middle, did not waste any time to get her innings going. She hit a boundary and a massive six off King and followed it with another boundary off Sophie Day in the next over.
Redmayne joined the party as she swept Day for four and smashed Brunt over the deep midwicket boundary. It seemed like Heat were running away with the game, but Brunt did not think so. Redmayne had to walk back to the pavilion courtesy to a brilliant direct hit from the English seamer.
Brunt bowled tight lines in tandem with King as they managed to keep the Heat batters quiet for a brief period. It did not last long as Voll came down the track and lofted King for consecutive boundaries through mid-wicket.
With 25 runs required from 24 balls, Tess Flintoff got the big wicket of Voll for a 27-ball 34. Sciver then got rid of Maddy Green in the next over and the onus was on Laura to get the team across the line.
Laura started from where she left off in the previous game with a boundary down the ground off the first delivery and followed it up with a huge six over fine-leg off the third. Meanwhile, Tess Flintoff bowled an excellent penultimate over giving away just two runs and taking the wickets of Amelia Kerr and Charli Knott at the other end.
Kimmince, however, made no fuss whatsoever as she reverse-tapped Annabel Sutherland for a freakish four past backward point. She pulled the next ball through to the fine-leg boundary and reached the target with four balls to spare.
ALSO READ: ICC shifts 2022 T20 World Cup to February 2023Earlier, having put into bat, Stars lost Lanning in the first over to Delissa Kimmince. Elyse Villani and Mignon du Preez put their hands together and built a partnership. Du Preez, in particular, was in sublime touch as she cut Courtney Sippel for four and followed it up with a beautiful extra-cover drive. Along with Villani, she went after the Heat bowlers in the powerplay.
Delissa was the stand out bowler for the Heat as she came back with a maiden over after providing the initial breakthrough. She mixed up the deliveries with cutters and slow bouncers to keep the Stars batters guessing. When the spinners came on Villani and Du Preez freed themselves with a flurry of boundaries. They added 53 runs in 45 balls before Villani was stumped by Redmayne for a 27-ball 24 off Amelia Kerr.
ALSO READ: Five venues to undergo upgrades ahead of Women’s World Cup 2022Joined by Sciver, Du Preez kept the momentum going for the Stars in the middle overs. She hit back-to-back boundaries off Jonassen and brought up her half-century in 36 balls with a boundary over long-off. She fell in the same over to Charli Knott trying to replicate the previous shot over long-on.
Sciver took charge of the innings as she smashed Nicola Hancock for boundaries off consecutive deliveries. Harris provided a much-needed double breakthrough for the Heat as she dismissed Sciver and the dangerous Annabel Sutherland in the same over.
Some late hitting from Katherine Brunt and Alana King took the Stars to 151 for five. While Brunt made 16 off 11 deliveries, King scored a 9-ball 17. Kerr was the most economical bowler for the Heat giving away 23 runs in her four overs.
Brief Scores: Melbourne Stars 151/5 in 20 overs (Mignon du Preez 51, Natalie Sciver 33; Grace Harris 2-8) lost to
Brisbane Heat 152/7 in 19.2 overs (Georgia Redmayne 37, Jess Jonassen 35; Tess Flintoff 3/13) by 3 wickets.
PotM: Laura Kimmince
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