What does this result really say going forward? Brisbane Heat are peaking. Batting depth. Clear roles. Confidence high. Khawaja leading from the front. Renshaw adapting perfectly. Thunder? Questions remain. Warnerās 82 earlier gave them hope, but defending 180 here was always tough. Five losses in a row now sting harder. Heat take the points. Thunder take lessons.
Until then, I am Dev Rajawat, signing off, along with my co-commentator, Akshay Bhide, and scorer Raju Khariya. Thatās it from our side. Thanks for joining. But there is one more game scheduled in the BBL today. Switch tabs, follow the fun. Goodbye from this tab! TAKE CARE! BREATHE AND SMILE! CIAO!
Usman Khawaja (Player of the Match and Brisbane Heat Captain): "I just love batting, honestly. I love the crowd here, the energy is unreal, and I love the gaffer as well. I was really disappointed to miss the Test match here, but getting the chance to bat in front of these fans makes up for it in a big way. Being out there and soaking it all in was special.
I wasnāt thinking too much about the format while I was just batting. I managed to get a couple of nice ones away early, and once you get that feel, everything becomes easier. Thatās always the hardest part - finding your rhythm.
I was playing it along the ground like a Test match at first, and then when I hit that first six, I thought, Alright, this is what it feels like to launch the fastball back over the rope. After that, I really settled into a groove and just enjoyed it.
The crowd absolutely loved it, and that made it even better. Weāre sitting fifth on the ladder now, with two big games coming up against the Hurricanes and the Sixers. Iām feeling confident. Iāll be back for the next one, and weāll be trying our best to win that.
Even if things donāt go our way, that last game is massive - itās sold out, the fans will be right behind us, and I honestly canāt wait. Itās going to be a lot of fun. And yes, Iāll definitely be calling Michael and telling him to get off the couch. If I have to, Iāll drag him out by the collar."
Player of the Match: Usman Khawaja
1:41 PM IST, 6:11 PM LOCAL TIME: Sometimes, the chase doesnāt just follow the target⦠it overwhelms it. A target of 181 looked competitive. Sensible. Fightable. Until the Brisbane Heat decided otherwise. What unfolded was a chase powered by intent, clarity, and class. 183/3 in 16.2 overs. Game done with 22 balls to spare. Sydney Thunder tried. They searched for breakthroughs. But Heat had answers. And how. From a blazing start to calm consolidation, this innings had tempo shifts, partnerships, milestones, and control. One team chased. The other chased shadows.
Jack Wildermuth walked in with a mission. Swing hard. Ask questions later. He smashed 39 off 15, striking at 260. Alongside Usman Khawaja, he stitched a furious opening stand. The 50 came up in just 3.2 overs. Read that again. Overs two and three went for 15 and 23 respectively. Thunder were rattled. Dropped chances didnāt help. By the end of the Powerplay, Heat were 59/1, having already seized control. Sams finally broke through. But the damage? Already done.
Did the Heat slow down once Wildermuth departed? Not at all. Enter composure. Khawaja took charge. McSweeney rotated. Singles flowed. Pressure eased. At 83/2 in 6.6 overs, Heat were cruising. Chris Green struck to remove McSweeney, but Khawaja stayed ice-cold. Boundaries when needed. Calm otherwise. The run rate stayed healthy, hovering above 10 an over. Thunder kept changing bowlers. Heat kept picking gaps. Momentum firmly stayed orange.
The Khawaja-Renshaw partnership? Match-defining. Pure class. Khawaja and Renshaw added 93 runs for the third wicket. One anchoring. One accelerating. At halfway, Heat were 108/2. The skipper brought up his 50 off 30 balls. Timing over power. Placement over panic. Even when Khawaja fell later, heād done his job. 78 off 48, strike rate 162.5. Leadership innings. Thunder finally broke the stand through Wes Agar, but by then, the contest had tilted heavily.
With calm authority, Renshaw stayed unbeaten on 42 off 26. Bryant arrived. One ball. One six. Done. Heat finished at 183/3, run rate 11.20. Thunderās bowlers had no margin left. Sams, Agar, Willey - all expensive. Only Green offered some control with 1/28. But on a flat pitch, with a massive outfield and confident batters, control wasnāt enough.
Earlier in the match, when wickets kept tumbling around him, David Warner stood tall like a lighthouse in a storm. While others struggled to find timing and tempo, Warner found rhythm early and never let go. He anchored the innings with a classy 82 off 52 balls, striking at over 157, mixing power with placement. The Powerplay belonged to him - crisp cuts, muscular pulls, and calm running between the wickets.
Partnerships were short-lived, but Warner kept resetting. He brought up his 50 in 32 balls, absorbed pressure in the middle overs, and attacked again at the death. Without his innings, Thunder wouldnāt have sniffed 180. With him, they believed. That belief, however, only lasted till the break.
OVER 17
Brisbane Heat
183/3
Max Bryant
6(1)
Matt Renshaw
42(26)
Daniel Sams
1-33(2.2)
16.2 D Sams to M Bryant
6 SIX! DONE AND DUSTED! ONE BALL AND BRYANT HIT A SIX TO FINISH IT OFF! Short of a length and angling into the body of the batter. Bryant presses back and swivels before pulling it to deep fine leg for a six to seal the deal. THE BRISBANE HEAT HAVE DEFEATED THE SYDNEY THUNDER BY 7 WICKETS WITH 22 BALLS TO SPARE!!
Sams is interested in this one and asks his skipper to send it upstairs. It's a fair delivery to start.
Reviews Left: BRH 1, SYT 1
16.1 D Sams to M Renshaw
1lb A high full toss and around off. 132.2 kmph. Renshaw gets across, gets surprised and tries to flick but misses. The ball thus his back thighpad and rolls down to deep square leg for a leg bye. However, the Thunder have taken a review for LBW. There is no bat involved and the Ball tracking shows that the impact is in line but it would have missed the leg stump in the projection. NOT OUT!