Stars ready to take long road to success in rare finals chance

Melbourne Stars are putting a disappointing end to the Weber WBBL|11 regular season behind them as they look to pull off what no team has done before, by taking the long road to the final and lifting the trophy.

Having squandered the chance to lock in a home final with three straight losses, the Stars were left waiting until the final ball of the final game on Sunday afternoon to discover if they'd be hosting Tuesday's Knockout at the MCG, or travelling to Perth for it.

With little time turnaround time, the Stars squad was spread across multiple cross-country flights west on Monday before they reconvened for a light training session at the WACA Ground that night under lights.

It's hardly the ideal lead-up to a final at a ground they haven't played at this season, where they'll play a Scorchers side who've been settled at home for over a week having played their last two games at the WACA. 

But the Stars are determined not to let what is only their second ever appearance in WBBL finals go to waste. 

"I think everyone sees the final series as it's everyone's on scratch, and you go again, because some funny things can happen in a final," Stars coach Andy Christie said.

"I always tend to look at (losses), and the squad is doing a great job at looking at them as evidence to say, 'Hey, how do we how do we prepare better next time for our next opportunity?

"(Recent losses) have given us some feedback as to what are the things we need to do better next time around."

If the Stars do manage to overcome the Scorchers, they'll face a five-hour flight to Sydney on Wednesday ahead of Thursday's Challenger against the Sixers at North Sydney Oval. The winner of that game then flies to Hobart for Saturday's final.

Since the current WBBL finals format was introduced in 2021, the only fourth-placed qualifier to successfully win both the Knockout and Challenger to reach the Final were the Strikers in 2021 – but they had the advantage of both of those matches being played in Adelaide, when COVID restrictions prevented the Renegades from hosting in Melbourne. They went on to lose the final to Perth.

Since then, the fourth-ranked qualifiers have stumbled at the first hurdle.

One ace the Stars do have up their sleeve is former Australia captain Meg Lanning, who was on Monday crowned the BKT Golden Bat after scoring 430 runs at 53.75 across 10 matches.

It's Lanning's highest season average since the 56 she managed in WBBL|01, while her strike rate of 140 this tournament vastly outstrips the 113 from that inaugural season.

She hit a career-best 135 against the Sixers earlier in the tournament, and 90no against the Scorchers, while it's no coincidence that the Stars' recent run of losses coincided with Lanning being dismissed cheaply.

"I think everyone's scratching their head figuring that out," Scorchers coach Becky Grundy said on Monday when asked how they would get the better of Lanning.

"We've got a couple of our bowlers that have had some success against her, so I think we match up well with Soph and Chloe opening the bowling.

"Hopefully she can miss a straight one, and we can get her early and expose that middle order. But no doubt, she's a class player, and we're going to have to be at our best to break her and get her wicket."

WBBL|11 finals schedule

The Knockout: Perth Scorchers v Melbourne Stars, WACA Ground (Tuesday, December 9, 7.45pm AEDT)

The Challenger: Sydney Sixers v winner of The Knockout, North Sydney Oval (Thursday, December 11, 7.15pm AEDT)

The Final: Hobart Hurricanes v winner of The Challenger, Ninja Stadium (Saturday, December 13, 7.15pm AEDT)