The Melbourne Renegades are going into the WBBL|07 finals series with sluggish form, finishing second on the ladder and missing out on the top spot and a direct pathway to the grand final.
Coming into the match, the Renegades needed to win to give them any chance of finishing on top of the ladder, especially after their disappointing performance against the Hobart Hurricanes the day before.
Losing the bat flip and being asked to field first, the Renegades fell victim to the carnage of the Brisbane Heat openers Georgia Redmayne and Grace Harris, as they continued their destructive batting in the powerplay.
The pair put on 37 runs before the first wicket fell. Grace Harris (12 runs off 12 balls) was stumped by wicketkeeper Josie Dooley off the bowling of captain Sophie Molineux in the fifth over.
The wicket of Harris brought Georgia Voll to the crease, Voll and Redmayne continued where Harris left off, continuing to pile on the runs. At the end of the powerplay, the Heat were 1/47 after six overs.
The Renegades found it hard to trouble Voll and Redmayne, as the pair were able to consistently find the rope without needing to take risks. There was a chance when Redmayne was on 43 and slogged swept a ball into the Mackay sky, however, Jemimah Rodrigues who’s normally an exceptional outfielder misjudged the ball in flight and dropped the catch.
Redmayne punished the Renegades for that mistake, despatching Courtney Webb’s next two balls for a four and a six. Shortly after that, the Brisbane Heat wicketkeeper brought up her seventh half-century of WBBL|07.
Georgia Voll’s impressive knock of 41 runs off 30 deliveries came to an end in the 15th over, cutting a ball in the air to Ella Hayward at short third man off the bowling of Rhiann O’Donnell.
Ella Hayward would take a wicket herself in the next over, snaring the wicket of the dangerous power hitter Laura Kimmince (seven runs off five balls). The Renegades took the key wicket off Georgia Redmayne (71 runs off 51 balls) five balls later which would stem the flow of runs in the back end of the Heat’s innings.
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In the last three overs, the Renegades took the wicket of Mikayla Hinkley (three runs off six deliveries), while conceding only 20 runs. The Heat finished on 5/156 after their allotted 20 overs.
After the break, the Renegades’ batting innings couldn’t have got off to such a poor start, losing the wicket of opener Jemimah Rodrigues (three runs off four balls) on the fifth ball of the second innings. Courtney Webb (seven runs off fourteen balls) looked good while at the crease, before getting bogged down and driving a ball to Mikayla Hinkley at mid-on off the bowling of Jess Jonassen, the Renegades finishing the powerplay 2/35 off their first six overs.
Eve Jones (17 runs off 18 balls) was removed in the eighth over after Nadine de Klerk produced a ripper delivery to dismiss her. Two overs later Jess Duffin (seven runs off eleven balls) soon followed, leaving the Renegades 4/54 at the midpoint of their chase.
Four deliveries later, Sophie Molineux’s short stay at the crease ended, as she departed for two runs off four balls. Josie Dooley and Rhiann O’Donnell built a solid partnership of 28 runs before O’Donnell (19 runs off 17 balls) picked Grace Harris out at deep mid-wicket off the bowling of Jonassen in the 15th over, leaving the Renegades reeling at 6/89.
The Renegades would collapse and lose their last three wickets for 24 runs as Dooley (35 runs off 27 balls), Ella Hayward (two runs off three balls) and Ellie Falconer (10 runs off 11 balls) departed.
Harmanpreet Kaur didn’t bat as she was feeling ill, handing the Brisbane Heat the victory, bowling out the Renegades 9/113 after 18.1 overs. Kaur is expected to recover in time for the Renegades’ next match next Thursday.
The Melbourne Renegades will now finish second and will have a short break until their final ‘The Challenger’ on November 25th where they will take on the winner of the Eliminator. The time and venue are to be confirmed.
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