The Hobart Hurricanes defeated the unbeaten Brisbane Heat by seven wickets in a recent Women’s Big Bash League match at Junction Oval in Melbourne thanks to the explosive batting of veteran English player Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who helped the team chase down their highest-ever target of 174.
After winning the toss, the Heat decided to bat first and, thanks to a remarkable 75 off 57 balls from Grace Harris, amassed a total of 173/5. Harris, who recently filled in as Australia’s opener during the World Cup without Alyssa Healy, maintained her strong play.
Lizzie and I simply wanted to maximise the powerplay: Danni Wyatt-Hodge
The day, however, went to Wyatt-Hodge, who deservedly won Player of the Match with an innings of 62 from just 35 deliveries. In the powerplay, Hodge and opening partner Lizelle Lee put up a 55-run partnership. Lee was the ideal foundation for the record chase after he walked back following a 25-ball knock of 38.
“The pitch seemed a little bit sluggish to me. Really, I kept things simple; if the ball was in my zone, then go for it. Simply play attacking cricket while exercising strategy. That was probably about par, in my opinion. If we set our minds to it and put our heads down, we knew we could pursue that. Wyatt-Hodge told broadcasters Fox Sports, “Lizzie and I just wanted to play aggressive cricket, stay simple, and take advantage of the powerplay.”
Because it was the Hurricanes’ most successful run chase in WBBL history—beating their previous best of 145 against the Melbourne Stars in October 2021—the victory was especially noteworthy. Wyatt-Hodge’s innings, which included three sixes and six boundaries, was crucial to the chase.
With two balls remaining, Hurricanes captain Elyse Villani (32 not out) and Heather Graham (26 not out) gave their team the last flourish and led them home.
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With stats of 1/15 from her four overs, Grace Parsons was the best bowler for the Heat, who found it difficult to stop the Hurricanes’ aggressive style.
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