Sydney Thunder 129 for 4 (Litchfield 46) pace Hobart Hurricanes 126 for 6 (Villani 49*) for six wickets
With Thunder chasing 127 for victory in the eliminatory final, they looked to be in trouble with 26 runs required in the last three overs.
The 21-year-old was eventually thrown trying to grab Carey and finish the game, but when she came off the field in the 46th minute, the game was effectively over.
Litchfield calmly controlled the chase, twice breaking the tension by taking the Hurricanes’ pitchers to the rope when the pressure seemed to be building. She hit five fours in her 36-ball knock with the Hurricanes remaining to rue a crucial missed chance when Litchfield were on 23 and Thunder still needed 42 to win.
The win means Thunder will play Brisbane Heat in Friday night’s Challenger, with the winner facing the Melbourne Renegades in Sunday’s final at the MCG.
Athapaththu’s 2 for 24 did most of the damage with the ball, bowling Carey for 1 and then trapping Heather Graham cutting to cover the cut for 10.
Litchfield also took two good catches, while Taneale Peschel got the key wicket of Lizelle Lee for 23.
And while Molly Strano’s 1 for 8 in four overs and Amy Smith’s 1 for 17 in three threatened to strangle the Thunder, Litchfield was ultimately too good after being offered a second life.
