GUN’S SHOT
Canes back import to find form
THE Hurricanes are backing in their star import to ignite and kick-start Hobart’s WBBL campaign, after the season start was more fizzle than fireworks.
Winless after the opening two games, coach Salliann Beams said a key focus would be on her side’s batting production, after the Canes’ top order combined for only 13 runs in Sunday’s defeat to the Sixers.
“We’ve rectified a few things from a batting perspective and the batters put their hand up and owned that they want to be better and contribute more to the team, which I think is a great sign of this group,’’ Beams said.
“We have fallen around 20 runs shorts from where we should be in both games, because we feel that with our batting lineup that we should be scoring 140 runs-plus.
“I’ve told our group that we’ve selected our top six batters on what they’ve done already and that they need to just settle in and get rid of those nerves and we’ll be fine.” One of those batters yet to make her mark is South African star Mignon du Preez, who to this stage has a combined total of just six runs in the first two matches, but Beams was confident the star would soon be back to her best.
“Look, it’s a long competition and I’ve got no doubt she’ll be back firing soon, as she’s a very high-quality player.
“Mignon is new to the club and she’s got high expectations put on her, but I’m very confident in her ability and I still expect her to be one of the top scorers by the end of the competition.”
As southern Tasmania returns to normal on Tuesday, so too will Blundstone Arena, with the venue set to welcome back crowds for the Hurricanes’ match against the Melbourne Stars, in which both sides will be fighting for their first win of WBBL|07.