3 minute read

Australia spinner Jess Jonassen has detailed how a WBBL dressing-room spat gave Queensland the confidence and freedom to make their rise in women's cricket.

A dressing-room spat between Brisbane Heat players was part of the catalyst for Queensland's rise to women's cricket power, according to Jess Jonassen.

Details of a post-match verbal from the opening round of the WBBL04 season were made public on Wednesday night, in the documentary The Heat Repeat.

The cricket.com.au program revealed how Jonassen took to task Beth Mooney and then-captain Kirby Short over intent when the team finished 2-136 in a chase of 172.

Jonassen admitted she felt nervous about the issue from 2018-19 coming to light, with the Australia spinner uncertain how she'd be portrayed

"Obviously I was the one that started the conversation so how would that make me look?" Jonassen told AAP.

"Would I look like a bad guy? It wasn't a personal attack. It was 'okay how can we get better'?

"But at the same time I think the majority of the group saw that 'altercation' did its job.

"It allowed people to sort of push the envelope a little bit from a personal point of view, to expand their games and push harder."

Whatever the case, it worked.

The Heat went on to shock the Sydney Sixers in that season's final, with Mooney and Short the stars with the bat in the decider.

It was the first women's domestic title for any Queensland team.

They then backed it up with a second straight WBBL crown the next summer and their first 50-over title this year.

"I think (it's part of the catalyst) because we've done a lot of work over the last four years around being able to have more honest conversations," Jonassen said.

"We got to the final, we just had this incredible amount of belief, and I think that's stemmed through since."

Jonassen can feel the shift externally too, after the team made it their mission not to let the maiden win stand alone.

"There's so many people that don't want us to win whether we're the Heat or Queensland," Jonassen said.

"Even for the WNCL final with the girls here on tour (in New Zealand).

"If people don't want you to win, they're obviously worried about you for a reason.

"(Compare that) to the WBBL04 final when people wanted us to but ... deep down probably didn't think that we were capable."