The defending champions, Brisbane, square off against Thunder in the second semifinal of Australian Women’s T20 2020. The winner of this game will face either Melbourne or Perth in the final on Saturday.
Match Prediction: Nov 26, 1:40 PM
Team Preview
Brisbane is just two wins away to defend its title for a second successive year. The two-times champions Heat finished second in the table after achieving the 7-matches winning streak. Defending champions had a woeful start to their campaign with winning just one game from the first seven, and in the second half, they remained unbeaten to finish in the top two, one point behind league topper Melbourne.
Redmayne and Grace Harris are giving a fluent start to Brisbane, and in the second half, the duo was in top-form. Redmayne amassed 332 runs at an average of 33.20, and Harris scored 240 runs this season. The captain Jonassen has led from the front, and she contributed with both bat and ball. The Australia International scored 212 runs and scalped 16 wickets in the league stage. Amelia Kerr has been terrific in middle-overs with her leg-break bowling. The Kiwi player picked 16 wickets so far, and she is also useful at the finishing end with the bat. In the last league game, Kerr scored a fine 35 with the bat and picked two wickets in the 2nd innings to script the 7th straight win. Kerr and Jonassen’s performance would propel Brisbane’s chances in the semifinal.
Meanwhile, S Thunder managed to get the third spot by winning three out of the last four matches. The only defeat came against their derby rivals by just 4 runs. After two washed-out affairs in the start, Sydney added three consecutive wins, and throughout the tournament, they remained in the top four by keeping their winning rhythm continue.
Sydney is more dependent on their bowling unit, and they lack the most in their batting unit. They have a strong batting lineup, but this season, they came as a compact bowling unit. Heather Knight has been outstanding with the bat this season, scoring 403 runs at an average of 40.30. The skipper Haynes is taking charge in the middle-overs. She has aggregated crucial 268 runs at number four and played a sheet-anchor for the side. Haynes is smartly using her bowlers. Shabnim Ismail bowls three-overs in powerplay along with Bates. Haynes also use Samantha Bates in death-overs with Darlington to control the acceleration. Sammy-Jo Johnson has been impactful with her pace, and he draws breakthroughs for Sydney in middle-overs. She is the joint highest wicket-taker of the season with 18 wickets.
Both sides met twice this season, and both had won one match each. In the first game, Sydney had the last laugh in a washed-out affair. Heather Knight and Samantha Bates defended 42 in the 5-overs to script a narrow win. In the second-leg game, Brisbane outclassed Haynes’ side by 8 wickets. The current form put Brisbane on the top, and they are going to play yet another final.
Pitch Report
North Sydney Oval will host this match, and it will be a used surface. The track is good for batting, and the dew can play a major role. It’s a batting-friendly wicket, but scoring might be slow. Batting first is an ideal call in this crunch game.
Possible XI
Brisbane
Grace Harris, Georgia Redmayne (wk), Jess Jonassen (c), Georgia Voll, Maddy Green, Amelia Kerr, Laura Kimmince, Charli Knott, Georgia Prestwidge, Delissa Kimmince, Nicola Hancock
S. Thunder
Tammy Beaumont, Rachel Trenaman, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Heather Knight, Rachael Haynes (c), Phoebe Litchfield, Lauren Smith, Tahlia Wilson (wk), Hannah Darlington, Shabnim Ismail, Samantha Bates
Key Players
Brisbane
Georgia Redmayne
This season – M: 13, Runs: 332, Avg: 33.20
Jess Jonassen
This season – M: 13, Runs: 268, Wickets: 16
S. Thunder
Heather Knight
This season – M: 14, Runs: 403, Avg: 40.30
Sammy-Jo Johnson
This season – M: 14, Wickets: 18, Avg: 16.72
