Knight, Bates Propel Thunder to Top of WBBL Table with Victory over Brisbane Heat

Sydney Thunder secured their third win in four matches to stay atop the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) points table, defeating Brisbane Heat by 19 runs. Key contributions from Heather Knight and Samantha Bates powered Thunder's strong performance in Perth, keeping Brisbane on the back foot.

Batting first, Thunder's top-four delivered solid starts. Openers Chamari Athapaththu (33 off 25 balls) and Georgia Voll (22 off 22) set the tone before Phoebe Litchfield (40 off 25) and Knight accelerated in a 57-run partnership off 37 balls. Together, they struck 17 boundaries, with Knight's unbeaten 59 off just 34 balls being especially crucial. In the 18th over, she punished Grace Parsons with four boundaries, helping Thunder score 34 runs in the last three overs and reach a competitive total of 170/5.

In response, Brisbane Heat stumbled early as Hannah Darlington and Taneale Peschel made quick breakthroughs, reducing them to 35/2 by the fifth over. Grace Harris (41) and Charli Knott (55) attempted to stabilize the innings, but Knott’s efforts were cut short by Peschel. Athapaththu and Bates then dismantled Brisbane’s middle order, with Bates claiming 4/25 and Athapaththu chipping in with 2/33. Brisbane’s lower order crumbled, leaving six players with single-digit scores. In the final over, Shabnim Ismail dismissed Parsons to end Brisbane’s chase at 151.

Brief Scores:
Sydney Thunder Women: 170/5 in 20 overs (Heather Knight 59*, Phoebe Litchfield 40; Jess Jonassen 3-22)
Brisbane Heat Women: 151 in 19.1 overs (Charli Knott 55, Grace Harris 41; Samantha Bates 4-25, Taneale Peschel 2-23, Chamari Athapaththu 2-33)

Thunder won by 19 runs.