The Cricketer takes a look at the Heat squad ahead of WBBL08
Coach: Ashley Noffke
Captain: Jess Jonassen
Overseas: Danni Wyatt, Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Jess Kerr (until Wyatt and Vastrakar arrive)
Last season: Third in group stage, defeated in eliminator
How did they do last year?
An unspectacular year for Jess Jonassen's side, who saved arguably their worst performance for the winner-takes-all eliminator defeat by Adelaide Strikers, in which they were restricted to just 114 for 8, with Amanda-Jade Wellington ending with the remarkable figures of 5 for 8. But for Nicola Hancock's 40 off 26 balls, that scorecard would have looked far worse.
Georgia Redmayne and Grace Harris both passed 400 runs for the season, while only Wellington took more wickets in the competition than Jonassen, who was by far and away Heat's most prolific bowler, followed by Hancock seven wickets behind.
Jess Jonassen leads Brisbane Heat [Getty Images]
Who are their key players?
Jonassen is a world-class left-arm spinner – second only in the WBBL's all-time wicket-taking stakes to Molly Strano – and a useful batter to boot, even if she endured a lean time of things in the middle order in last year's tournament. She is a fine captain, took her wickets at 14.9 apiece in 2021 and had a marginally better strike rate than Wellington.
They have significantly upgraded their overseas imports, with Danni Wyatt, Pooja Vastrakar and Amelia Kerr all onboard, while Jess Kerr – Amelia's older sister – has signed as a partial replacement for Wyatt and Vastrakar, whose arrivals are delayed. The quartet have replaced the South African pairing of Anneke Bosch and Nadine de Klerk, as well as Indian leg-spinner Poonam Yadav.
In Wyatt, Brisbane have one of the most aggressive openers in the women's game, with a T20I hundred against Australia – one of two such things in the format's history – and a reputation for going hard at the new ball. She is a better-known quantity than Vastrakar, the allrounder and one of the most exciting of the players emerging from India. She is an exceptional fielder, bowls with genuine pace and hits a long ball. Amelia Kerr, meanwhile, is a subtler cricketer: a fine batter and quality leg-spinner, with previous experience with Heat prior to taking a break from the game to prioritise her mental health.
Laura and Grace Harris both hold reputations for their hard-hitting and aggression. Laura already has a 54-ball century to her name this summer, while Grace has forged a berth in Australia's white-ball teams. Georgia Voll, the 19-year-old, is one of the most promising young batters in the country.
What are their biggest strengths?
There won't be many better spin duos in the competition than Jonassen and Amelia Kerr operating in tandem, while a batting line-up featuring Wyatt, two Harrises and Vastrakar won't be short on firepower. Amelia Kerr and Redmayne will offer a touch of class.
Only four players – Beth Mooney, Katie Mack, Sophie Devine and Elyse Villani – scored more runs in 2021 than Redmayne, a practicing doctor and also one of the better uncapped players in Australia, the kind who almost certainly would be playing international cricket were she from any other country. She has started the 50-over summer in impressive touch for Queensland.
Danni Wyatt is one of Heat's three imports for 2022 [Getty Images]
Where might they have a weakness?
It's hard to pinpoint a particular weakness when you look down the names in a jampacked line-up, but Heat look a quality seamer short, even with Jess Kerr's short-term stay. Their squad includes young spinners Grace Parsons and Charli Knott, but the departure of Georgia Prestwidge for Melbourne Renegades leaves Ashley Noffke – a former seamer himself – light in that department, particularly in the absence of either Bosch or de Klerk who, despite not enjoying particularly successful campaigns, were both seam options.
Otherwise, Heat's main challenge will come in having to rock the boat: it's difficult to see Wyatt batting anywhere other than the top of the order, which means splitting up the Redmayne-Harris axis that was so successful in 2021, while Voll – a future star for Australia – batted at No.3 last year but will almost certainly find herself lower down the order to accommodate Wyatt and Amelia Kerr. Vastrakar could well find herself as low as No.8; Mikayla Kinkley, ever-present last time around, might find chances harder to come by this year.
Chances of reaching the latter stages?
It would be a surprise were they to fall at the first hurdle, given the quality in their ranks and the nous of Jonassen.
Strongest XI: Danni Wyatt, Georgia Redmayne, Grace Harris, Amelia Kerr, Georgia Voll, Laura Harris, Jess Jonassen, Pooja Vastrakar, Nicola Hancock, Courtney Sippel, Zoe Cooke
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