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Fire sparking next T20 dynasty

Lisa Sthalekar dissects a team on the rise

While the Lend Lease Breakers and the Commonwealth Bank VicSpirit have dominated both the Women’s National Cricket League and Women’s Twenty20 domestic competitions since their inception, another team is emerging as a real title threat, especially in the shorter format.

The Konica Minolta Queensland Fire began to show what they were capable of in last season’s WT20 semi-final against the Commonwealth Bank VicSpirit, knocking out the three time winners and going on to make their debut in the WT20 final at the WACA.

But it wasn’t until winning that decider over the Tradies ACT Meteors that the players started to believe they could challenge the perennially dominant teams of seasons past.

Incredibly, it was the first time in WT20 history that a team other than the NSW Lend Lease Breakers or the VicSpirit had won a title.

Over the weekend the Fire cemented their status as an emerging force with victory over the Breakers for the first time in their WT20 history (they avoided NSW in the finals last season).

Despite being a relatively young side, this core group of players has played a lot of cricket together, with the majority of them making their debut for the Fire while still at school.

During that time, players such as Melissa Bulow, Kirsten Pike, Jude Coleman and Jodie Fields provided the guidance required at the beginning of their careers.

That mix of experience and youthfulness has enabled the Fire to slowly build as a group and their T20 performances over the past couple of seasons are certainly a testament to that.

Their side currently has the right balance of firepower and finesse, a formula that the best teams in the competition possess.

At the top of the order you have the explosive, yet unorthodox Delissa Kimmince, who isn't afraid to move around the crease and put the bowlers off their line, length and rhythm.

Kimmince, although selected originally as a fast bowler, has developed her all-round skills to make her a destructive batter in her own right.

Up the other end is Beth Mooney, the stable rock of this opening partnership.

A little more conventional, the left-handed Mooney had an impressive season last year scoring 350 runs at an average of 29, with her ability to hit the loose ball to the boundary making her a nervous proposition for opposition bowlers.

Jessica Jonassen seems to love facing the new ball, as shown in Bangladesh when she opened for the Southern Stars against England in the final and hit Danielle Hazell for six, and at a domestic level the Rockhampton product is building into one of the cleanest hitters in the country.

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But the x-factor in this side is Grace Harris.

While the off-spinner gives the ball plenty of rip, her strength with the bat can see her clear the boundary rope with ease.

Although still developing consistency with the willow, when Harris gets it right she is capable of doing a lot of damage; as shown by her strike rate of 130 last season.

To round things off in the batting department, who can go past the courageous captain, Jodie Fields. Always a player that loves to get in a battle especially when her team is in a difficult position, Fields has the ability to inspire her teammates through her actions and is one of the biggest reasons behind the side’s recent success.

The Fire also have a great mix of bowlers.

Holly Ferling, at the ripe old age of 18, leads the attack and, while still on the comeback trail following a stress fracture in her back, displayed her wicket-taking ability on the weekend, reducing the Breakers to 2-6 in the first over.

Kimmince, who opened the bowling for the Southern Stars against Pakistan, is starting to add more and more value in the pace department as well.

Despite the 'Fire'-power at their disposal, it’s Queensland’s spin attack, with the likes of Harris, Jonassen and Jemma Barsby, that has done the most damage in recent times.

Their subtle differences in approach make them, in my opinion, the most versatile bowling attack in the women’s domestic competition.

With a group of players that enjoy each other’s company, as evidenced by the amount of noise you hear from them at training and their growing understanding of the game from a tactical point of view, the Fire are definitely a team on the rise in the women’s domestic scene – and one that could well challenge for even greater honors in years to come.