Brisbane Heat come out on top in high-scoring Melbourne Stars clash

Lauren Winfield-Hill made 74 off 51 balls on her Stars debut but ended up on the losing side

Mackay: Brisbane Heat 179-3, Melbourne Stars 170-8 - Brisbane Heat win by nine runs

Scorecard

Lauren Winfield-Hill ended up on the losing side despite a terrific half century on her Melbourne Stars debut in a high-scoring defeat by Brisbane Heat.

Winfield-Hill, the England opener, hasn't played international cricket since during the World Cup at the start of the year but she has enjoyed a remarkable upturn in form ever since with Northern Diamonds and Oval Invincibles, which she transferred into the Women's Big Bash, making an authoritative 74 off just 51 balls in a thrilling game at Mackay on her first appearance for Stars.

Brisbane Heat ultimately came out on top, winning by 10 runs thanks to an excellent last over by the previously-expensive Jess Jonassen, who had earlier watched as Ellie Johnston smashed an enterprising fifty after being pushed to the top of the order in place of Grace Harris.

Johnston, 19, hit four sixes and three fours in reaching her maiden Women's Big Bash fifty, and she was well supported by Georgia Redmayne in an 88-run opening stand.

They fell an over apart, having given their side the perfect start, and fellow youngster Georgia Voll ensured that momentum was maintained, finishing unbeaten on 40, with Amelia Kerr adding 28 as the inexperience of Stars' bowling attack showed.

^{Lauren Winfield-Hill top-scored for Melbourne Stars in defeat (Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)}

Chasing 180 in reply, Melbourne needed to begin well, with their three overseas players – Winfield-Hill, Bess Heath and Alice Capsey – carded in the top three. Winfield-Hill was fluent from the outset, stroking 11 fours and jumping all over anything loose. She and Heath were both given lives by an often-woeful fielding display that worsened as the dew on the outfield became more of a problem.

Heath, who was less fluent and initially struggled to get going, was the first to go, missing Kerr's googly as she attempted to sweep. Capsey fell similarly after a quickfire 15, going too far across her stumps to be bowled around her legs. When Winfield-Hill fell four balls later, that might have been the end of Stars' challenge.

But Annabel Sutherland launched an assault in Jonathan Batty's first game as Melbourne's head coach, going after Jonassen and making excellent use of the power surge, during which Kim Garth was run out but otherwise Stars profited with 28 runs in two overs.

But faced with 14 runs needed off the last six balls, Jonassen held her nerve, having Sutherland's terrific cameo – 45 off 22 balls – ended as Heat finally took a clean catch, before closing out the game by constantly finding the blockhole as Stars' lower order looked to swing big.

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