Redmayne 74* powers Heat to eight-wicket win over Stars

Georgia Redmayne produced the innings Brisbane Heat had been waiting for, and Orla Prendergast finished the job beside her, as the Heat chased down 166 to beat Melbourne Stars by eight wickets in the Women's Big Bash League at Junction Oval on Thursday, 12 November 2026.

Redmayne finished unbeaten on 74 from 50 balls, striking 12 fours, while Prendergast reached a maiden WBBL half-century with 52 not out from 36 balls. Their unbroken 105-run partnership carried Brisbane Heat to 166 for 2 in 18.5 overs, with seven balls to spare, after Melbourne Stars had posted 165 for 5 from their 20 overs.

It was the Heat's third consecutive victory, lifting them into third place, and it extended a miserable run for the Stars, who suffered a fourth straight defeat. Redmayne later called it the best chase the side had produced in many a year: controlled early, ruthless in the middle, and calm when the target came into view.

Lanning and Jones give Stars a platform

Melbourne Stars won the chance to set a total and made the most of a strong start, as captain Meg Lanning and Amy Jones put on 108 for the first wicket. Lanning made 52 from 45 balls and Jones top-scored with 74 from 52, both scoring at better than a run a ball on a surface that rewarded clean timing.

Sarah Glenn finally broke the opening stand in the 14th over, luring Lanning into a top edge. Sianna Ginger, who finished with 2 for 22, removed Annabel Sutherland after a diving catch from Annie O'Neil, and the innings lost momentum just when the Stars needed acceleration.

Dani Gibson was given a life with a dropped catch in the deep, but Prendergast knocked her over five balls later, and smart glovework from Redmayne removed Jones in the 19th over. Georgia Prestwidge added a quickfire 20 from eight balls, and the Stars closed on 165 for 5. At one point, Redmayne admitted, they might have reached 180; instead, Brisbane squeezed the back 10 overs well enough to keep the target within reach.

Heat start fast, then Redmayne takes charge

Brisbane Heat began the chase with intent. Charli Knott plundered 12 from the first over, and although Grace Harris picked out Charlie Dean at point from a half-tracker by Kim Garth, the Stars conceded 39 runs from the first three overs. The Heat were 57 for 1 after six overs, and the required rate never looked daunting.

Annabel Sutherland was introduced to stop the flow and rattled Knott's stumps to remove her for 30 from 24 balls, finishing with 1 for 32. That brought Prendergast to the crease, and from that moment the Stars found no way back. Redmayne and Prendergast attacked in tandem, striking 18 fours and a six between them.

Between overs 13 and 14, the Heat collected 32 runs, a burst that effectively ended the contest well before the final over. Redmayne's 12 boundaries told the story of an innings built on placement rather than slogging, while Prendergast's maiden WBBL fifty announced a young player growing rapidly in confidence.

The dropped chance that changed the match

Every close chase has a moment that turns it, and this one arrived with Redmayne on 29. An opportunity to run her out went begging when replays showed Stars wicketkeeper Amy Jones had dropped the ball before taking off the bails. It proved to be the key moment of the match.

Redmayne did not offer another chance. She and Prendergast compiled their unbeaten 105-run partnership and remained together at the death, finishing the job with seven balls to spare. The Heat captain's composure was the difference between a tense finish and a comfortable win, and her judgement of the chase never wavered.

"Just really proud of that win," Redmayne said. "We did really well in the back 10 overs to keep them to that 165. At one point it looked like they may have put 180 on us. We put the squeeze on really well and we thought that may be a little under par, but to chase down a big total like that gives us a lot of confidence. It's the best chase we've done in many a year."

That confidence matters because the Heat's revival has been built on momentum. After going 706 days without a triumph, they now have three victories in a row, and the dressing room looks like a side that expects to win tight games.

What the result means for both sides

For Brisbane Heat, the win was about more than two points. Chasing 166 successfully showed that their batting has depth beyond a fast start. Knott's 30 gave the innings early energy, Sutherland's intervention tested their nerve, and Redmayne and Prendergast answered with a partnership that never allowed the required rate to climb.

For Melbourne Stars, the defeat exposed the gap between a good start and a complete performance. Lanning and Jones did their jobs superbly, but the middle order could not build on the opening stand, and the bowling lacked a breakthrough when Redmayne and Prendergast took control. A fourth straight loss leaves the Stars searching for answers, and the dropped run-out chance will sting because it came when a wicket might have changed the chase.

The Heat, by contrast, leave Junction Oval with a template to repeat: keep the opposition below par in the back 10 overs, start the chase positively, and trust a captain in form to finish the job. On this evidence, Redmayne is in exactly that form, and Prendergast is emerging as the ideal partner for her.