Litchfield leads Thunder to brink of WBBL final with crucial victory

Sydney Thunder defeated Hobart Hurricanes by six wickets in their recent match. Sydney Thunder scored 129 runs for 4 wickets, with Litchfield top-scoring with 46 runs. In response, Hobart Hurricanes could only manage to score 126 runs for 6 wickets, with Villani scoring an unbeaten 49 runs.

Phoebe Litchfield steered Sydney Thunder to within one win of the WBBL grand final, helping her side end Hobart Hurricanes' season with a tense six-wicket victory at Drummoyne Oval.

With Thunder chasing 127 for victory in the knockout final, they appeared to be in trouble with 26 runs required from the final three overs.

Enter Litchfield and Anika Learoyd, who got the job done for the Thunder with six balls to spare. The pair took 16 runs off the 18th over from Heather Graham, before Litchfield struck Nicola Carey for six off the first ball of the next over.

The 21-year-old was eventually bowled trying to scoop Carey and finish the game off, but by the time she walked from the field on 46 the game was effectively over.

Litchfield controlled the chase calmly, twice breaking the tension by driving Hurricanes' bowlers to the rope when the pressure appeared to be building. She hit five fours in her 36-ball knock with Hurricanes left to rue a crucial missed stumping chance when Litchfield was on 23 and Thunder still needed 42 to win.

Her runs came as Learoyd played a supporting hand with an unbeaten 23 from 24, while Chamari Athapaththu hit 31 up top after also taking two wickets with the ball.

The victory means Thunder will play Brisbane Heat in Friday night's Challenger, with the winner of that to face the Melbourne Renegades in Sunday's final at the MCG.

Elyse Villani had given Hurricanes a small hope of victory with an unbeaten 49 after the Hurricanes had fallen to 47 for 4 from their opening 10 overs.

Athapaththu's 2 for 24 did the bulk of the damage with the ball, bowling Carey for 1 and then having Heather Graham caught cutting to cover cutting on 10.

Litchfield also took two neat catches, while Taneale Peschel got the key wicket of Lizelle Lee for 23.

And while Molly Strano's 1 for 8 from four overs and Amy Smith's 1 for 17 from three threatened to strangle Thunder, Litchfield was in the end too good after being offered a second life.