Heat juggernaut rolls on as Brisbane seal semi spot

Brisbane Heat have flexed their depth to seal a seven-run win over the Hurricanes in Hobart, cementing their place in the Rebel WBBL semi-finals.

Batting first, the Heat had been on the back foot at 4-58 after a rare failure from opener Beth Mooney, but their long batting line-up – led by the explosive Grace Harris – carried them to an imposing 9-157.

Erin Fazackerley (35) then had the Hurricanes flying in reply before New Zealand leg-spinner Amelia Kerr (2-16) entered the fray, the Heat making regular inroads to limit their rivals to 7-150 despite the efforts of big-hitting South African Chloe Tryon (21 off 12), whose late fireworks ensured the match remained alive into the final over.

The Heat now sit four points clear on top of the table with three games left to play, ending a successful run on the road that saw them win six consecutive matches played outside Queensland.

They return home to host the Renegades at Allan Border Field on Tuesday, before they meet the bottom-of-the-table Stars, putting them in prime position to host the Finals Weekend.

Sent in on a greenish wicket, WBBL|05 leading run scorer Mooney (4) was dismissed for single figures for the second time in as many innings, caught off the bowling of Belinda Vakarewa whose knack of picking up big wickets in the power play continued.

Big-hitting Sammy-Jo Johnson (0), frustrated after failing to get off the mark from the first five deliveries she faced, swung hard at a Tayla Vlaeminck delivery only to gift Fazackerley a simple catch off a top edge.

Jess Jonassen joined Maddy Green to steady the Heat, with the in-form allrounder hitting three consecutive boundaries off the spin of Knight.

But their 47-run stand was broken when leg-spinner Maisy Gibson had Green stumped for a run-a-ball 24 before she struck again two balls later when Jonassen holed out for a 20-ball 29, leaving the Heat 4-58.

The Harris sister act ensured any damage to the Heat run rate was short-lived, Laura (18 off 12) the early aggressor before Grace kicked off, making the most of some wayward bowling from the Hurricanes to find the boundary five times and clear it twice on her way to a 27-ball 43, while the canny batting of Kerr (21 off 16) also added key runs as the Heat finished on 9-157.

Vakarewa was the hero again for the Hurricanes, bowling well up front before returning to allow just three runs from the final over and picking up another two wickets to finish with 3-17.

A miserly start with the ball from Johnson and Delissa Kimmince limited the Hurricanes to just 12 runs from the first three overs in reply, before Fazackerley kicked into gear in stunning fashion.

She took 20 runs from in-form spinner Jonassen’s first over, including two maximums, racing to 35 from 20 as the Hurricanes reached 0-52 at the end of the power play.

But all it took was one Kerr delivery to turn the chase on its head, with Fazackerley edging behind and Beth Mooney hanging on to a juggling catch, sending the opener on her way for a 21-ball 35.

Things went from bad to worse four balls later when a brilliant diving save and rocket throw from Georgia Prestwidge had English star Heather Knight caught short, run out for one.

Kerr’s second collected the huge scalp of Nicola Carey (4) as she chased a wide delivery, before Mooney’s lightning reflexes behind the stumps came to the fore again when she took a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss Hurricanes captain Corinne Hall (16).

Big-hitting Tryon came to the crease in the 16th over with the Hurricanes needing 47 from 29 and reignited hopes when she plundered three boundaries from Jonassen in the penultimate over, but there was simply too much to do, with an excellent death over from Kimmince seeing the South African bowled on 21 and sealing victory.

Kerr led the way with the ball, taking 2-16 from her four overs, while Johnson (1-25) also impressed.