Knight's unbeaten 54 lifts Thunder to a record chase as Brisbane Heat's drought reaches 702 days

Sydney Thunder chased down the highest total ever made at Drummoyne Oval to stay unbeaten and stretch Brisbane Heat's winless run to 12 matches

Heather Knight finished on 54 not out from 29 balls as Sydney Thunder Women reached 180 for 4 in 16.4 overs at Drummoyne Oval, a six-wicket win completed with 20 balls to spare.

Brisbane Heat Women had posted 178 for 5, the highest total made in a Women's Big Bash League match at the Sydney ground, beating a previous venue best of 171. It was not enough.

The chase was the largest Thunder have completed in the competition, and it left them with two wins from two matches this season. The Heat are still looking for a victory 702 days after their last one.

Knight paces the chase

Phoebe Litchfield supplied the early impetus with 41 from 19 balls, and Georgia Voll fell for 2, but it was Knight who settled the pursuit from the middle order.

The England batter added 63 with Anika Learoyd, who made 37 from 28 before a diving catch by 16-year-old Aya Stafford ended the stand.

Knight was unbeaten at the finish, having faced 29 balls for her 54 while the hitters around her cleared the rope.

"It was a belter of a pitch. We've probably been used to it being a little bit more harder for batters," Knight told Fox and Kayo.

Harris sisters on opposite sides

Knight's second substantial stand, worth 59, came with Laura Harris, who struck 35 from 16 balls to take the match beyond Brisbane.

Harris was then caught by her sister Grace Harris with three runs still needed, one of the few moments in the closing overs that went the Heat's way.

The sisters were on opposite sides of the fixture, and Grace had already made the larger score of the two.

Heat waste a strong platform

Grace Harris made 58 from 37 balls and Georgia Redmayne 57 from 44, the two adding 99 for the second wicket to carry Brisbane to 118 for 1 in the 14th over.

Orla Prendergast contributed 28 from 20 at the death, but the innings never found the extra gear that the platform invited. Thunder struck six more fours than the visitors across the match.

India's Yastika Bhatia, appearing for the Heat for the first time this season, fell for 1 from 3 balls, caught and bowled by Voll on her birthday.

"Their batters hit boundaries where we hit ones, so we've only got ourselves to blame," Grace Harris told Fox and Kayo. "These guys are a dynamic batting line-up so they are going to put you under the pump."

A ground record that changed hands twice

Brisbane's 178 for 5 passed the previous highest Women's Big Bash League score at Drummoyne Oval, which stood at 171.

Thunder then went past that mark themselves inside 17 overs, so the ground record was set and overtaken in the same afternoon.

"To win at home is a key thing for us this year," Knight said of a result sealed in front of a Sydney crowd.

A drought that runs to 702 days

The defeat was Brisbane's 12th in succession. Their last win came on 29 November 2024, and the sequence dates back to their defeat in that season's final.

They have now lost both of their matches in this season's tournament, this one despite making a score that had never been bettered at the ground.

Thunder have won both of theirs, and have now chased more successfully than at any point in the club's history.

Scorecard: Brisbane Heat Women 178 for 5 (Grace Harris 58, Georgia Redmayne 57) lost to Sydney Thunder Women 180 for 4 in 16.4 overs (Heather Knight 54 not out, Phoebe Litchfield 41) by six wickets.

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