WBBL: Brisbane Heat to follow Matildas and play first stand-alone match at Gabba

The Brisbane Heat will follow the trend of Australia’s biggest women’s sporting teams when it takes to the Gabba for a stand-alone WBBL match.

Cricket will ride the wave of big stadium momentum generated by the Matildas and Women’s State of Origin with the Brisbane Heat women’s team to play their first stand-alone match at the Gabba.

The Heat will play their WBBL grand final rematch against the Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba on the evening of Saturday 9 November.

The fixture will be the first night WBBL game at the Gabba for the Heat and their first match at the venue for six years.

The Heat previously played Gabba daytime double headers with the men’s Heat team.

The Heat have been inspired by the Matildas selling out major stadium venues in the Soccer World Cup and beyond, and the recent standout Women’s State of Origin rugby league series that was played at Suncorp Stadium, Newcastle international sports ground and Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville, finishing in front of a sellout crowd.

The Heat took on the Strikers at the Adelaide Oval in last season’s WBBL final. (Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images)

The Gabba joins the likes of the SCG, MCG, WACA and Adelaide Oval which hosted WBBL matches last summer as Cricket Australia look to expand the reach of the competition as it celebrates its 10th season.

Brisbane had an enviable record at the Gabba in the early double-header days of the competition, winning seven out of their eight games, before the competition moved to their own stand-alone timeslot in October and November.

Batting star Grace Harris produced a trademark sizzling century in WBBL|04, thumping 101 not out from 42 balls against the Melbourne Stars, prompting her to declare it as her favourite pitch to bat on.

Cricket Australia will launch the Women’s Big Bash League fixtures this week.

The WBBL team will now get to enjoy the Gabba home crowd that the BBL team treasures. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

The Heat will head into the 10th anniversary of the trailblazing WBBL competition with a new coach in former Australian mentor Mark Sorell who took over last month from the championship-winning Ashley Noffke.

Brisbane, which has won two titles and was runners-up last year, is set to contend with a new-look line-up following the aggressive recruiting of several of their playing group by rival clubs, including international star Amelia Kerr and rising star Georgia Voll.

WBBL|10 Brisbane Heat squad to date: Nadine de Klerk (South Africa), Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Ellie Johnston, Jess Jonassen, Charli Knott, Georgia Redmayne. Coach Mark Sorell.

Originally published as WBBL: Brisbane Heat to follow Matildas and play first stand-alone match at Gabba