Brisbane heat Won 160 for 8 (Heath 29, Johnson 3-39). Sydney Thunder 138 for 9 (Athapaththu 39, Jonassen 4-26) by 22 runs
Jonassen claimed four wickets as Thunder chased down 160 for 8 in Friday’s match at the Adelaide Oval. A win for the Heat in their last regular season game ensured they reached the finals – they were in third place with 16 points.
But the Hurricanes will need a big win over ladder leaders Adelaide Strikers on Sunday to increase their run-rate over the Thunder, who meet the Sydney Sixers before the playoffs.
The top-ranked team will directly enter the finals on December 2. The second place team will host the Eliminator and Challenger Finals.
After Thunder openers Samari Athabatu and Phoebe Litchfield gave Sydney a torrid start, Jonassen took 4 for 26 from her four overs and was pivotal in Friday’s win.
But Jonassen turned the tide and the Thunder lost six wickets in the space of eight overs. As the chase stalled, he claimed the lead pair of Atabatu and Marisanne Cup.
Earlier, Heat’s Bess Heath scored 29 off 25 balls, the highest score during an even batting effort. Opener Georgia Redmayne (21 off 21), Amelia Kerr (20 off 17) and Laura Harris (19 off 9) scored more than 12 runs.
Heat’s innings ended with a flourish as Georgia Wall scored an unbeaten 18 off eight balls.