Last time the Hurricanes met the Scorchers, the record books were rewritten in a high-scoring shootout at Ninja Stadium.
On the eve of the Weber WBBL|11 Final, skipper Elyse Villani and Sophie Devine were expecting more of the same as two of the competition’s strongest batting line-ups go head-to-head for the title.
On November 29, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Natalie Sciver-Brunt led the way as the Hurricanes pulled off the biggest run chase in WBBL history, reeling in their target of 186 with five deliveries to spare.
Reflecting on their high-scoring encounter at Ninja Stadium last month, Villani pointed to the fact her team achieved a record chase after a poor bowling and fielding innings that allowed the Scorchers to post 5-186.
Reigning in Scorchers opener Beth Mooney, who hit a 55-ball 75 in that match, will be top of the Hurricanes’ to-do list come Saturday.
“I think the great thing about that game is that we were pretty terrible in the first half and we bounced back remarkably well, and we only had that 10-minute changeover to be able to do that,” Villani said at the two captains posed with the trophy at Hobart’s Constitution Dock on Friday afternoon.
“That said a lot about the character in our group.
“In saying that, if we perform better in the first half, we don’t have to have that record run chase in the second innings.
“I feel like we learned a lot from that game – we learnt more about our opposition in that game, and we learn a little bit about ourselves as well, and the way that we bounced back, not just in that game, but then the games following that, I think it’s something we can be really proud of.”
Devine meanwhile drew confidence from the fact her team had successfully defended two totals in the finals so far.
Against the Stars at the WACA Ground, they won by 28 runs after posting 5-173, while at the notoriously batting friendly North Sydney Oval, they hammered 8-183 against the Sixers before holding on to win by 11 runs.
“We’re in a space at the moment, which I think is a really nice place to be at, going into a coin toss we actually don’t care what we do first,” Devine said.
“The last game we played against the Hurricanes here, they chased down a big total.
“But we know this ground is a really high scoring ground, doesn’t matter what sort of cricket it is, men’s, women’s, T20, 50-over, there’s plenty of runs on offer.”
The Hurricanes are one of only two WBBL teams alongside the Stars to have never lifted the trophy, while the Scorchers are aiming to add a second to the won they claimed in WBBL|07 in 2021.
While it’s Hobart’s first appearance in the WBBL decider, there is extra skin in the game for Villani, who played in three losing Big Bash finals for the Scorchers and Stars before making the move to the Hurricanes.
“I think it would be hard to put into words (what it would mean), to be honest,” Villani said.
“It would be a dream come true, to be honest, I’ve been going at this 11 seasons with the WBBL, and I’ve been very jealous every single year of the people that have been able to lift that trophy.
“What it would mean for the entire organisation is something that’s not lost on me.
“To finally get to the mountaintop would be pretty incredible, to be honest.”
The two teams could not have had more contrasting lead ins to the final.
The Hurricanes finished on top of the table, which gave them the direct path to the final and a week off. But their lighter back-end of the regular season, which included their final game being abandoned at the innings break, means they have not played a full game, or batted, since December 1.
Villani said with the game finally arriving, she was starting to feel the nerves, but was adamant a preparation light on for competition cricket would not disadvantage her side.
“If you sit back and think about what is the perfect preparation, I don’t think anyone has the answer,” she said.
“The boys were able to do it this way last year, the Renegades did it this way (in the WBBL) last year.
“So there’s definitely proof in the pudding that finishing first can be real advantage and I think it was great that we were able to have a few days of rest, we were pretty tired by that point in time in the season.
“If it doesn’t go our way tomorrow night, it certainly hasn’t come down to anything that we haven’t done or haven’t prepared.”
The Scorchers meanwhile have had a diet of must-win cricket over the past fortnight, winning their final two regular season games to qualify for the top four.
They then saw off the Stars at home on Tuesday night, before boarding a flight to Sydney where they stunned the Sixers in Thursday’s Challenger.
Battle-hardened and with plenty of frequent flier points now up their sleeves, Devine said she felt her side had built some nice momentum.
“We’re really happy, but we also know that there’s a massive challenge that’s awaiting us here in Hobart,” Devine said.
“We’ve been (there) before in terms of having a whole week rest to recover (before a final) … some will say at the end of a tour, that’s really positive, some will say that playing cricket is going to prepare you best.
“Either way you look at it, both teams are going to go in really ready and excited about a big challenge.”
WBBL|11 finals schedule
The Knockout: Perth Scorchers beat Melbourne Stars by 28 runs
The Challenger: Perth Scorchers beat Sydney Sixers by 11 runs, North Sydney Oval (Thursday, December 11, 7.15pm AEDT)
The Final: Hobart Hurricanes v Perth Scorchers, Ninja Stadium (Saturday, December 13, 7.15pm AEDT)
