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Adelaide Strikers Women 156 for 4 (Wolvaardt 47, Patterson 45*, Knott 1-27) beat Brisbane Heat Women 154 for 8 (A Kerr 43, L Harris 33, Schutt 3-26) by six wickets
Heat had their chances but rued four dropped catches as Strikers eye redemption for last season’s final heartbreak when they meet Sydney Sixers on Saturday at North Sydney Oval.
Patterson steps up at the death
Strikers gambled and held off taking the power surge until the 18th over with 33 runs still needed. It proved a masterstroke after they scored 24 runs culminating in a huge six over deep square leg from Patterson, who was unruffled by the situation.
Perhaps they were tired after having to back up from last night’s victory in the Eliminator over Hobart Hurricanes, but Heat had only themselves to blame.
But their poor fielding, which spilt over from a sloppy effort against Hurricanes, haunted them as they fell agonizingly short.
Strikers crash through Heat’s strong top-order
At the beginning of the do-or-die match, it loomed as a contest between Strikers’ brilliant attack and the dynamic batting of Heat.
Seamer Darcie Brown menaced with inswing to trouble Redmayne, who had looked rusty against Hurricanes in her return from a hamstring injury.
Redmayne continued to look a shadow of the player who had dominated earlier in the season, before a confidence boosting boundary through square leg. But she was bowled by Brown on the next delivery attempting the same shot, as Heat slumped to 13 for 2 in the third over.
But Grace fell in the eighth over leaving Heat shakily placed at 43-3.
After Amelia helped steady the ship, Heat needed a lift from Laura Harris who again obliged with power-hitting.
She turned the game against Hurricanes with 44 off 14 balls and almost replicated that here with a 14-ball 33, mixing belligerence with finesse after coming to the crease at 88-4 after 14 overs. She smashed Brown for four boundaries in the 17th over, but her best shot might have been an outrageous switch hit off Schutt that rocketed to the deep third boundary.
Schutt exacted revenge on the next ball, but Laura’s pyrotechnics helped lift Heat to a competitive total. But in the end it proved not enough.
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