Brisbane Heat will be eyeing their third consecutive WBBL final appearance as they take on Sydney Thunder in the second semifinal on Thursday. The Heat have won back to back titles in the last two seasons and will have a chance to win their third one if they go on to win this semifinal as well. Sydney Thunder, on the other hand, were the champions of the inaugural edition of the WBBL in 2015-16. They haven’t won any title since then but have been in very good form this season.
The Thunder do have one problem though. Their middle-order hasn’t exactly fired this season and that is an area the Heat will look to exploit in this match. The two-time champions don’t have any real weakness in their side and thus don’t give Thunder any area to exploit. Everything will depend on how well Thunder turn up with their performance on Thursday.
Recent form
As far as recent form goes, Brisbane Heat have been on a roll as they have registered wins in all of their last five games. Sydney Thunder don’t have such a long streak but they are also coming into this semifinal on the back of two consecutive victories in their last two league matches.
Source: Twitter (WBBL)
Probable Playing XIs
Brisbane Heat
Grace Harris, Georgia Redmayne (wk), Jess Jonassen (c), Georgia Voll, Amelia Kerr, Charli Knott, Laura Kimmince, Nadine de Klerk, Delissa Kimmince, Georgia Prestwidge, Courtney Grace Sippel
Sydney Thunder
Tammy Beaumont, Rachel Trenaman, Heather Knight, Rachael Haynes (c), Phoebe Litchfield, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Tahlia Wilson (wk), Hannah Darlington, Lauren Smith, Shabnim Ismail, Samantha Bates
Key Players
Brisbane Heat
Jess Jonassen: The Heat all-rounder has played a pivotal role in their success this season. She has not only scored over 200 runs with the bat but has taken 16 wickets as well, at an excellent average of 16.62.
Grace Harris: She has played an equally important role in Heat’s success as Jonassen. Harris has amassed 240 runs this season and has also picked up 13 wickets at a sensational average of 9.07.
Sydney Thunder
Heather Knight: The Thunder all-rounder has been one of the best performers in this WBBL season. Knight has not only amassed 403 runs at an excellent average of 40.30 but has also picked up nine wickets with her bowling.
SJ Johnson: She is the highest wicket-taker for the Thunder this season with a total of 18 wickets to her name at an average of 16.72. Her team will be expecting an equally good performance in this all-important semifinal once again.
Win Prediction: Although both teams have been in good form of late, Brisbane Heat have a higher chance of winning in this match owing to the experience they have in knockout encounters.