Danni Wyatt, Jess Duffin help Melbourne Renegades pull off highest WBBL chase

Rapid fifties from Danni Wyatt and captain Jess Duffin helped the Melbourne Renegades pull off the highest chase in WBBL history by beating table-toppers Brisbane Heat. The Renegades chased down 184 with six wickets and as many balls to spare at the Allan Border Field. Wyatt and Duffin came together in the ninth over when the Renegades needed 103 from 67 balls and the duo struck boundaries in every over but one from there to seal the chase. Wyatt smashed a few down the ground during her 34-ball fifty and Duffin took on Delissa Kimmince and Amelia Kerr for her 27-ball half-century. Wyatt slapped a catch to mid-off to fall for her 55-ball 87 before Duffin reduced the equation to 11 runs from 12 balls which Georgia Wareham finished with a drive over mid-off in the penultimate over. Earlier, Beth Mooney's 86 off 57 and Jess Jonassen's 51 off 34 carried Heat to 4 for 183 with Mooney relying on her drives in a total of 10 fours and two sixes. Their charge during the second-wicket century stand kicked off after the halfway mark with Mooney smashing two fours and two sixes in the 16th over off Maitlan Brown to collect 25 runs. Wyatt, however, dismissed both Mooney and Jonassen in the 19th over and even effected a run-out at her end before starring with the bat.

After Naomi Stalenberg got Sydney Thunder off to a blistering start with a 21-ball 30, No. 3 Alex Blackwell batted into the 19th over, ensuring that an imposing total was posted to keep their slender hopes of semi-final qualification alive, as they beat bottom-placed Melbourne Stars by 18 runs in Canberra. Blackwell struck 65 off 47 balls, and stitched useful stands with captain Rachael Haynes and Phoebe Litchfield through the middle overs, before a final push from Hannah Darlington took Thunder to 6 for 162. Despite the loss of in-from opener Lizelle Lee for a second-ball duck to Rene Farrell, the Stars remained in the hunt through a 78-run stand between Elyse Villani and Mignon du Preez. But Farrell returned to dislodge Villani for 43 in the 13th over, and when Samantha Bates had du Preez stumped for 55 in the 17th, the Stars were left with 44 to score from 19 and they fell short.