Brisbane Heat 160 for 8 (Heath 29, Johnson 3-39) beat Sydney Thunder 138 for 9 (Athapaththu 39, Jonassen 4-26) by 22 runs

Chasing 160 for 8, Thunder fell short with Jonassen snaring four wickets in Friday’s match at Adelaide Oval. The Heat’s victory in their final regular season game ensured they reached the finals: they placed third with 16 points.

But the Hurricanes would need a massive win over table-leaders Adelaide Strikers on Sunday to boost their run rate ahead of the Thunder, who face the Sydney Sixers in their final game before the playoffs.

The team that finishes first will gain direct entry to the final that will be organized on December 2. The second place team will host the Eliminator and Challenger finals.

Jonassen was instrumental in Friday’s victory, taking 4 for 26 from her four overs, after Thunder openers Chamari Athapaththu and Phoebe Litchfield gave Sydney a good start.

But Thunder lost six wickets in a span of eight more to lose momentum as Jonassen tightened the screws. She claimed the key duo of Athapaththu and Marizanne Kapp when the chase stalled.

Earlier, the Heat’s Bess Heath hit 29 off 25 balls for the high score during an even batting effort. Seven batsmen made more than 12 with opener Georgia Redmayne (21 from 21), Amelia Kerr (20 from 17) and Laura Harris (19 from 9) making useful contributions.

The Heat’s innings ended with a flourish when Georgia Voll hit a six in her quickfire 18 not out off just eight balls.