Maitlan making most of surprise opener role in Sixers' experiment

Maitlan Brown likes to joke that she is the 'Wish' version of Alyssa Healy at the top of the order for the Sydney Sixers.

But self-deprecating comparisons to a website that peddles notoriously inferior facsimiles of well-made originals aside, Brown is happily embracing an unexpected opportunity to open the batting alongside Ellyse Perry as she seeks to establish herself as a bona fide allrounder.

The Sixers were forced to think outside the box just one game into Weber WBBL|09 after Healy's season-ending dog bite injury.

Initially, Perry shuffled up from the middle-order to join opener Suzie Bates but with the New Zealander struggling for form, and with the Sixers' missing Healy's aggression against the new ball, coach Charlotte Edwards instead decided to experiment with the hard-hitting Brown.

"It's still a bit of a 'pinch me' moment, if I'm being honest," Brown told cricket.com.au.

"I didn't see it coming whatsoever, I was just playing my natural game down below and trying to score off as many balls as possible … and then Lottie said 'I need to have a chat to you', and she walked me over to Pez, who was in the ice bath at the time, and she said 'I'd like you to meet your new opening partner'.

"I didn't really know what to say – I think I just said, 'That's sick!'

"I'm super grateful for the opportunity and I'll make the most of it while I can.

"I don't know how long I'll do it for (but) when I was growing up I looked up to Pez, so to walk out there with her for the start of an innings is really special."

Brown, 26, has traditionally been far better known for her pace bowling – although her ability to hit a long ball has never been in doubt.

But across the past two seasons she has worked hard on that facet of her game to evolve herself into a more regular, and fast scoring, contributor down the order, as she started to make a case for herself to be viewed as a true allrounder.

In last year's final she smashed 34 off 17 deliveries to almost pull off a miracle against the Adelaide Strikers, and in this year's season opener she hit 35 off 22 balls against the Stars.

The shift up to the top has yet to pay off in terms of big runs – Brown has a top score of 19 in three innings – but it eased the pressure on Perry, giving her time to settle, and helped Bates find form down the order.

"Obviously we've been struggling with the bat and not quite getting the starts that we'd like so I think we had to do something a little bit rogue," Brown said.

"I mean, I'm the 'Wish' version of Midge. It's more just to take on the game – they don't want me to play any different.

"There's not as many gaps as usual, normally when I come out there's four out, so it's been a bit different, same with the ball swinging around – I copped a good one from youngster Sara Kennedy at the WACA, so there's a couple of extra spanners in the works.

"But I just want to go out there and play freely."

Bates, who scored 50 runs in six innings opening the batting before her move down, has been able to find form in the middle-order.

She has hit 27 and 35no in her past two outings, helping the Sixers post three consecutive wins as they look to make a late charge for the top four.

"We've won three games with me batting at six, so you don't change a winning formula," Bates told Fox Cricket.

"I think what's nice about it is after playing for 30,000 years, you can use all your experience.

"I've got the opportunity now to be deep in the game and use my cricket brain and hopefully get us to scores we can defend."

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