Charli Knott's maiden WBBL century carries Brisbane Heat to a 14-run win over Adelaide Strikers

Charli Knott's 104 from 61 balls settled a high-scoring night at Drummoyne Oval and gave Brisbane Heat their first win of the season

Brisbane Heat beat Adelaide Strikers by 14 runs in the 10th match of the Women's Big Bash League, defending 184 for 4 after Knott brought up the first century of her Big Bash career.

The Strikers, who had won the toss and chosen to field, closed on 170 for 5. Madeline Penna's hitting at the end of the chase came too late to recover an innings that had lost its shape in the 17th over.

The result ends a difficult opening fortnight for the Heat, who had lost both of their first two matches and were still without a point when they arrived in Sydney.

A hundred off 56 balls

Knott reached three figures from 56 balls and finished on 104 from 61, a strike rate of 170.49 and the first WBBL hundred of her career.

She hit 12 fours and four sixes, and the Heat lost only four wickets across their 20 overs, so the innings never had to pause for a rebuild.

Knott is 23, and the innings is comfortably the highest score of her WBBL career.

It ended in the one way the Strikers could not plan for. Knott was run out after a mix-up with her partner at the other end.

Support at the right moments

Knott did the bulk of the scoring, but the Heat's middle order kept the rate moving rather than slowing her down. Grace Harris made 22 and Orla Prendergast 16.

Yastika Bhatia, the India wicketkeeper-batter who joined the Heat for this season, contributed 16 and was the other half of the mix-up that ended Knott's innings.

Between them, Harris, Bhatia and Prendergast accounted for 54 of the 80 runs that did not come from Knott's bat.

Ecclestone holds one end

One Adelaide bowler kept her figures in order. Sophie Ecclestone returned 1-18 from four overs, conceding at well under a run a ball on a night when nobody else managed it.

The England left-arm spinner's four overs cost 18. The other 16 overs of the innings cost 166.

The chase loses its shape

The Strikers had been 34 for 1 in the fourth over and 64 for 2 in the ninth, so the platform was there.

Laura Wolvaardt anchored the reply and had the Strikers within range at 141 for 3 before she fell in the 17th over. Bridget Patterson followed five runs later, and 141 for 3 had become 146 for 4.

That left Penna needing 39 from 16 balls with the lower order for company. She struck cleanly for 68 from 45 with seven fours and four sixes, but the equation never came back within reach.

Harris closed it out with 2-19 from two overs, removing Penna from the last ball of the match. Lucy Hamilton's four overs went for 26.

First points on the board

The Heat had gone into the match without a win from two attempts and with a net run rate of -0.891, the product of defeats to Sydney Sixers, which went to the final ball, and Sydney Thunder.

The two points are their first of the campaign, and the 14-run margin lifts a run rate that had been negative since the opening week.

For the Strikers, who had won their opening fixture, it is a first defeat of the campaign.

Scorecard: Brisbane Heat Women 184 for 4 (Knott 104, Harris 22) beat Adelaide Strikers Women 170 for 5 (Penna 68; Harris 2-19, Hamilton 1-26) by 14 runs at Drummoyne Oval.

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