Villani to lead new-look Vics in WNCL title bid

In-form opener Elyse Villani will step in as Victoria captain to help her state navigate a major late-season shake-up, as they look to snap a 15-year drought in the Women’s National Cricket League.

Victoria are 7.5 points clear on top of the domestic 50-over table with two round matches left to play and have already secured their spot in the final, barring any further loss of points due to slow over rates.

However, their star-studded contingent of Australian stars are unavailable for the remainder of the season due to the tour of New Zealand, meaning captain Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Molly Strano and Tayla Vlaeminck will not be sighted again in navy this season, while allrounder Annabel Sutherland has also been ruled out of the remainder of the summer due to injury.

Of the 12 players to have taken the field for Victoria across six matches this season, only five – Villani, Irish quick Kim Garth, allrounder Tess Flintoff, batter Anna Lanning and wicketkeeper Nicole Faltum – will be available to take the field against Western Australia on Thursday.

Their departures will bring a mixture of experienced veterans and young talent to the fore for those final two matches, and for the final on March 27, where Victoria will play either Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales or South Australia.

Coach Lachie Stevens admitted it was not an ideal situation but said losing players to international cricket was increasingly part and parcel of the domestic game.

Victoria’s only planned intra-squad practice match was cancelled due to the state’s snap five-day lockdown in February, and their incoming squad members have been plying their trade in Premier cricket.

"It’s just one of those things in domestic cricket … though there’s probably not too many teams that lose six players and another to injury as well," Stevens told cricket.com.au.

"It’d be lovely to have your full playing roster available, but that’s just not the way it works and what it does is give opportunities for new people to come and show their wares, and that’s the exciting part from our point of view.

"It’s a difficult ask for the group that’s left behind to come in, and no one is expecting them to play the same way that team’s been playing (until now), but we’re hoping they get in and enjoy the opportunity and compete as hard as they can.

"There’s players out there who get a minimal crack or no crack at all so I’m really looking forward to watching a few of these players."

Stevens said Victoria would take a 13-strong squad to Western Australia, with teenage off-spinner Ella Hayward set to be given her maiden Victoria call-up after making her Melbourne Renegades debut during Rebel WBBL|06.

Makinley Blows, who scored a WNCL century last season, will open the batting alongside Villani, while Garth will lead a pace attack which is could also the likes of feature Flintoff, Blows, Lucy Cripps, Courtney Neale and Elly Donald.

Veterans Anna Lanning and Bhavisha Devchand will add experience to the group, while left-arm spinner Sophie Day, who played a key role for the Melbourne Stars earlier this summer, is likely to make her state debut.

But Victoria’s title hopes undoubtedly rest largely on the shoulders of Villani, who has hit career-best domestic 50-over form this season.

The 31-year-old former Australia batter has struck 538 runs at 134.5 from six innings, including three centuries.

"When I’m listening to other players talk about her, both within the Victoria side and opposition sides, there’s a few people I’ve spoken to who have said they’ve never seen her play that way before, for as long a period of time and to be able to hold her innings together as well," Stevens said.

"To be able to go well, pull back a bit and hold and absorb pressure, and then exert pressure again.

"I think the best praise is coming from her peer group who have been so impressed.

"We’re just really happy to watch her play that way and hopefully she’s got another couple of good knocks in her as well."

Victoria contract list: Makinley Blows, Lucy Cripps, Sophie Day, Bhavisha Devchand, Elly Donald, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth, Zoe Griffiths, Anna Lanning, Meg Lanning*, Courtney Neale, Sophie Molineux*, Ellyse Perry*, Annabel Sutherland*, Molly Strano*, Elyse Villani, Amy Vine, Tayla Vlaeminck*, Georgia Wareham*

* Unavailable players