Kimmince hails WBBL evolution

DELISSA Kimmince has hailed the evolution of women’s cricket power hitting after a weekend of massive scores in the Women’s Big Bash League.

Kimmince, who captains the Gold Coast Dolphins when not away on higher honours, smashed an unbeaten 87 not out off 54 balls – including three sixes – as Brisbane fell 18 runs short of Perth’s 188 yesterday.

The run-fest came after both the Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers reached 200 or more in their 20-over innings on Saturday.

The women’s game had often previously been lowscoring encounters but Kimmince said those days were in the past.

“I think it just comes down to power hitting,” she told the Bulletin.

“The game has now evolved and we’re a bit more professional. We are spending a lot more time on nailing our game and being able to practice things like this.

“It honestly sucks to be a bowler really, sometimes you just feel like you can’t get any ball right.”

While the shift towards batting-dominated games has made life hard for bowlers – Kimmince bowls medium pace as well as batting in the middle order – the trend has made women’s cricket more of an action-packed spectacle.

“That’s the way the game is going and it is all about being entertaining and I definitely think that the opening weekend has been that,” she said.

“We see it in the men’s, teams are getting over 200 so it is just part of the game now and it is definitely exciting and it is showcasing the skills that the girls now have.”

During the Heat’s run chase at North Sydney Oval, Kimmince said she had taken hope from big scores on the opening day of the WBBL to prove that 12-an-over was possible.

Ultimately, however, Kimmince was brought undone by regular wickets at the other end. She was the only Brisbane player to score more than 23.

“I didn’t really worry about what we actually needed,” the 28-year-old said.

“I thought the longer I stayed out there, the closer we were to getting it.

“Obviously there was a bit of a shorter boundary so from one end that sort of would come into my natural game.

“If you have a look at my wagon wheel, I didn’t really hit any shots on the off side.

“But that’s just me and that’s how I play. I try to walk around the crease and move as much as I can to try to maximise my options of scoring on the leg side.

“That’s where I am strong.” Kimmince’s Dolphins teammate Sammy-Jo Johnson scored eight with the bat but bowled well for figures of 2-24 off four overs.

Kimmince had 0-36 off her four overs.

The Heat will be out for revenge when they take on the Scorchers on Friday at Allan Border Field.