In the rain-shortened WBBL 2024 final at the storied Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday, December 1, the Melbourne Renegades defeated the Brisbane Heat by seven runs (using the DLS technique). For the first time, the Renegades won the coveted crown, and Hayley Matthews showed off her versatility.
In Sophie Molineux’s absence, Renegades finished last season at the bottom of the standings. Matthews took over as team captain. But Molineux was back in charge this season, and the Renegades were the team to beat.
They defeated the Brisbane Heat, who put in second place for the second straight season, after finishing first in the round-robin round.
Following an invitation to bat first, Matthews played a gutsy knock of 69 runs off 61 balls, hitting eight boundaries as the Renegades reached 141/9 at the end of their 20 overs. The only other batters to score in double figures were Georgia Wareham (21) and Naomi Stalenberg (16). With stats of 3/28 in her four overs, Charli Knott was the standout bowler for Brisbane. Due to Brisbane’s poor defensive performance, their opponents were able to score some crucial runs on a challenging pitch.
The late blitzkrieg by Jess Jonassen is unsuccessful.
The Brisbane Heat’s pursuit, in response, got off to a terrible start. After opening batsman Grace Harris was hit by a duck, Jemimah Rodrigues quickly followed. The second innings was cut short to 12 overs due to a rain delay, and the Heat had to chase down a target of 98 runs.
At 37/5 at the end of seven overs, Heat were struggling for breath after Matthews took a pair of wickets. Captain Jess Jonassen is undefeated after hitting 44 off 28 deliveries, including five boundaries and a six. But it was insufficient to push Brisbane over the edge. Ultimately, the pursuing team was limited to 90/6 in 12 overs.
India
