Brisbane Heat crush Hobart Hurricanes in 34-ball WBBL chase

Brisbane Heat beat Hobart Hurricanes by 10 wickets on Saturday, reaching their target in just 5.4 overs after dismissing the defending Women's Big Bash League champions for 86. The BBC Sport scorecard confirmed Brisbane finished on 88 without loss in Hobart, with Grace Harris and Charli Knott completing the chase together.

Watch the highlights:

The victory continued sharply contrasting starts to the season. According to the Australian Associated Press report carried by ABC News, Brisbane recorded their fourth win in six matches and consolidated third place in the standings. Hobart, champions last season, remained without a victory after six games, with another defeat deepening their difficult title defence.

Harris made an unbeaten 52 from 22 deliveries, while Knott finished on 34 from 12. The BBC scorecard lists eight fours and two sixes for Harris, with Knott adding four fours and two sixes. Together, they hit 16 boundaries in a chase that required only 34 legal deliveries, leaving 86 balls unused.

AAP reported that Brisbane's 62-run powerplay established a competition record. The opening pair scored 17, 18 and 20 runs from the first three overs, immediately taking control of the pursuit. Knott finished the match with consecutive fours. Brisbane's fourth victory in 10 days followed a winless spell lasting 706 days, underlining the scale of their recent turnaround.

The bowlers had created that opportunity by removing Hobart's leading batters early. Lily Bassingthwaighte dismissed Lizelle Lee for three and bowled captain Nicola Carey for four, while Lucy Hamilton removed Rachel Trenaman for one. Hobart were 11 for three when Carey departed and had fallen to 42 for six before the halfway point of their innings.

Lauren Smith, batting ninth, provided Hobart's highest score with 20 before Knott bowled her to end the innings after 17.5 overs. Bassingthwaighte finished with three for 25, supported by Sianna Ginger's two for eight, Hamilton's two for 15 and Sarah Glenn's two for 16. Hobart managed six boundaries in all, a total Brisbane's openers comfortably surpassed in their much shorter stay at the crease.