Brisbane Heat snap 706-day WBBL winless drought with 14-run win
Charli Knott scored 104 off 61 balls and Sarah Glenn took two wickets as Brisbane posted 4-184 at Drummoyne Oval.
Brisbane Heat ended a 706-day winless run in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) with a 14-run win over Adelaide Strikers on Thursday, Cricket Australia said in a statement.
Batter Charli Knott, a Queenslander and long-serving Heat player, scored 104 off 61 balls to power Brisbane to 4-184 at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney.
Her innings included 12 fours and four sixes.
Knott had starred on the recent Australia A tour of India, but she averaged just 13 last summer and around 19 across her 70-game WBBL career.
Only four members of Brisbane's side remain from the last time the team won, the Challenger Final in November 2024.
Knott moved to the top of the Golden Bat leaderboard before she was run out in the 18th over, and she then bowled a tight spell of her own.
"It feels so good, 706 is my new favourite number," Brisbane captain Georgia Redmayne said.
Redmayne described Knott as outstanding with both the bat and the ball.
She added that there was emotion in the team and that the players were glad to get over that hurdle.
Adelaide's chase was led by Laura Wolvaardt, who made 75, and Maddie Penna, who scored 68.
The Strikers were on course with 56 needed from the last six overs, but Penna's 27 off the 14th over from Sianna Ginger changed the equation.
Brisbane then held their nerve, taking 2-26 from the next five overs as Adelaide struggled to find the boundary.
Sarah Glenn removed Wolvaardt and Strikers captain Tahlia McGrath, who made 13, while fellow spinner Grace Harris also took two wickets for 19 runs.
Adelaide finished on 5-170 from their 20 overs.
The WBBL is Australia's women's Twenty20 competition, and both Brisbane and Adelaide are teams in the league.