Heather Knight’s unbeaten 54 and a rapid 16-ball 35 from Laura Harris ensured Sydney Thunder breezed past Brisbane Heat by six wickets at the Drummoyne Oval on Sunday (November 1).

Chasing a total of 179, the Thunder got home with 20 balls to spare with former England captain Knight steering the innings after a rapid 41 from Phoebe Litchfield got them off to a brisk start in the Powerplay, despite Georgia Voll falling cheaply. Litchfield struck six fours and a six in her 19-ball stay before falling to an excellent Orla Prendergast catch off the last ball of the Powerplay.

Knight and Anika Learoyd then shared a 63-run partnership where the boundaries kept coming at regular intervals, ensuring that Thunder were always on par with the asking rate. Once Learoyd fell for 37, Laura Harris kept the momentum going with a flurry of fours and sixes, shutting the door on the Heat. Knight soon got to a 27-ball fifty with consecutive boundaries and while Laura Harris fell to Lily Bassingthwaighte, Nadine de Klerk hit the winning four to seal a comfortable win.

Earlier in the day, Brisbane Heat rode on half-centuries from Grace Harris and Georgia Redmayne to post 178 for 5 after electing to bat first. Both batters began slowly before stepping on the gas with Heat in need of a thrust after the eighth over. Redmayne struck two fours off de Klerk to release some pressure, while Grace Harris soon raced away with a host of boundaries, reaching her fifty off 32 balls. Harris and Yastika Bhatia fell within quick succession to Voll, but Prendergast chipped in with a brisk 28 while Redmayne picked up pace herself. But Thunder did well to not concede a whole lot in the final couple of overs, limiting Heat to what eventually proved to be a below-par total.

Brief Scores: Brisbane Heat Women 178/5 in 20 overs (Grace Harris 58, Georgia Redmayne 57; Georgia Voll 2-25) lost to Sydney Thunder Women 180/4 in 16.4 overs (Heather Knight 54*, Phoebe Litchfield 41, Laura Harris 35; Lily Bassingthwaighte 2-34) by six wickets.

Hobart Hurricanes got swooped up by a whirlwind that was Ashleigh Gardner as she slammed nine sixes and 10 fours on her way to an incredible 60-ball 124 that allowed Sydney Sixers to post a mammoth 196/8. Sixers' scorecard made for a dramatic reading:

the top three fell for single digit scores that saw them slip to 6 for 3 in the third over before Gardner and Alice Capsey flipped the script. Capsey scored a 40-ball 54 and was involved in a 176-run stand with Gardner, coming off just 91 deliveries. In the 18th over when Heather Graham dismissed Gardner, it triggered one more collapse. Four more batters fell for single-digit scores and the Sixers went from 182/4 to 189/8.

But as it turned out, they had more than they needed for a comprehensive victory. Hurricanes also suffered a top-order mishap, spiralling to 26/5 in eighth over. Chinelle Henry and Maddy Green tried to revive the chase, but their 58-run stand wasn't enough for that to happen. Gardner wasn't done just peeling off sixes: she came back to pick three wickets. Melie Kerr bagged three as well, while Caoimhe Bray picked two. The Hurricanes innings ended at 109 in 17.4 overs, giving Sixers an 87-run victory.

Brief Scores: Sydney Sixers 196/8 in 20 overs (Ashleigh Gardner 124, Alice Capsey 54*) beat Hobart Hurricanes 109 in 17.4 overs (Maddy Green 42*; Ashleigh Gardner 3-23, Melie Kerr 3-25, Caoimhe Bray 2-14) by 87 runs