Brisbane Heat will finish this WBBL season without India batter Jemimah Rodrigues after the club accepted her request to remain at home.
Rodrigues flew back to Mumbai earlier in the month, having appeared in three games – the last against Hobart Hurricanes on 15 November – under an agreement reached before the tournament began. The plan had been to attend the wedding of close friend and India team-mate Smriti Mandhana last weekend, but the ceremony was postponed when Mandhana’s father fell ill. Rodrigues has elected to stay and support the family.
“It has obviously been a challenging time for Jemi, so while it is unfortunate that she will take no further part in the WBBL, we were more than willing to agree to her request to remain in India,” Heat chief executive Terry Svenson said. “The Heat club obviously wish her and Smriti Mandhana’s family all the best for the future.”
Svenson added that Rodrigues had “passed on her appreciation to the club and the Heat fans for being so understanding of the circumstances,” saying she remains in touch with the squad and has “wished them all the best for the rest of their games.”
Statistically the 25-year-old had a modest stint: 37 runs at 12.33, strike rate 102.77. Context matters, though. She arrived in Australia barely a week after lifting India’s first Women’s ODI World Cup, a hectic schedule that left little room for a breather.
Heat have lost all six matches so far, but there is a boost ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Sydney Sixers at North Sydney Oval. All-rounder Grace Harris returns from a scheduled rest and slots straight in for seamer Lily Bassingthwaighte, whose workload continues to be managed carefully.
Harris, capable of clearing any boundary when she gets going, should stiffen a batting line-up that has relied heavily on Georgia Redmayne. But bowling remains an area for improvement; only Jess Jonassen has kept an economy rate below eight.
The club are not chasing miracles. A first win would ease the pressure and, more importantly, restore belief. Whether that comes this weekend or later, Brisbane know Rodrigues will be watching – and willing them on – from the other side of the world.
