Brisbane: Experienced opener Usman Khawaja’s run-chasing fifty helped Brisbane Heat beat Sydney Thunder by 7 wickets in the 29th match of the Big Bash League (PBL).
Khawaja, who drew the curtains on his glittering Test career in the final of the home Ashes series on Thursday, joined the Heat as captain and made an immediate impact as he played a match-winning knock against the Thunder.
The left-handed opener scored a top score of 78 off 48 balls, studded with 10 fours, including three sixes, to help Heat comfortably chase down the 181-run target in 3 wickets and 22 balls, earning him the Man of the Match award.
His efforts were supported by fellow opener Jack Wildermuth, who scored a brisk 39 off 15 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes, while middle-order batsman Matt Renshaw scored an unbeaten 42 off 26 balls with 4 fours and a six.
For the Thunder, Chris Green, Daniel Sams and Wes Agar can take one wicket each.
Opting to bat first, the Thunder piled up 180/6 in 20 overs, buoyed by captain David Warner’s half-century.
The veteran opener scored 82 off 56 balls with 8 fours and 3 sixes, while wicketkeeper batsman Sam Billings scored 34 off 26 balls.
Matt Renshaw conceded just 29 runs in his four overs and took two wickets, while Matthew Kuhneman, Thomas Balkin and Xavier Bartlett were the best bowlers for the Heat with a scalp each.
The impressive win lifted Brisbane Heat to fifth place in the BBL 2025-26 standings with eight points from 8 matches, while Sydney Thunder remained bottom with two points from as many games.
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