Perth Scorchers set out to bolster their batting depth in WBBL|11 and it has them well-poised heading into a do-or-die final against the Sixers
Battle-hardened Scorchers fly west to knock Sixers off perch
Katie Mack expects to cop a bit of banter when she heads home to Sydney for the Weber WBBL|11 Challenger final, as she backs the Scorchers' newfound batting depth to stand them in good stead at North Sydney Oval.
Perth will meet a Sixers' side full of Mack's NSW teammates on Thursday night for a spot in the tournament final, having seen off the Stars in Tuesday's first elimination game.
When the sides met on the opening day of the WBBL|11, the Sixers kept the Scorchers to 109 then romped to a 10-wicket win.
"We're definitely up for some revenge," Mack said at Perth airport on Wednesday.
"I think we've finished really strong, I feel like the last part of our season has been must-win games.
"So, we've been well versed at it, having almost played a couple finals already.
"I reckon Maitlan Brown will be sledging me at the top of her run up ... it'll be a good competition."
After a scrappy start to the tournament, winning just two of their first five matches, the Scorchers batters have found their feet in WBBL|11.
Opener Mack scored a 37-ball half-century on Tuesday against the Stars, while Freya Kemp's 35 off 19 was also critical in propelling them to a match-winning total.
"I would have loved a few more runs during the season, but I'll take them in the finals," Mack said.
"It's really nice to bat with (fellow opener Beth Mooney), we're very similar in terms of moving up and down the wicket quickly and trying not to let the bowlers settle, so I think we work well together.
"I think that's what's been really nice about the last couple of weeks, is different people have stood up and scored runs.
"We haven't been reliant on one person, as much as Beth has been scoring lots, people have had really impactful innings.
"It's nice especially when you're going out to bat, knowing that if it doesn't work out for you, there's someone else that's hitting form at the right time."
Overall, the Scorchers have looked a far sounder batting unit in WBBL|11 compared to the group who missed finals last season, where only four players passed 100 runs for the tournament.
In WBBL|10, Mooney and Sophie Devine led the way, hitting 386 and 213 respectively, but their returns dropped off dramatically after that with Kiwi Brooke Halliday, who hit 109 runs in just three innings as an overseas replacement player, and Alana King with 105 their next highest scorers.
Bolstering that depth to provide support for Mooney and Devine was the top priority for coach Becky Grundy in the off-season, which led to the Scorchers targeting Mack, who was out of contract at the Strikers, before picking up Paige Scholfield and Chloe Tryon in the overseas player draft.
While Tryon withdrew due to international duties, she was replaced by England's Freya Kemp, who since adjusting to the local conditions has provided valuable contributions in the middle-order, scoring 182 runs at a strike rate of 151.66.
Scholfield meanwhile has hit 120 runs at a strike rate of 146.34 including a season-best 46no.
"We know that tournament cricket, you can't just rely on one or two players and it's been really fortunate to see the roles that we picked in our list management discussions have come to fruition," Grundy said earlier this week.
"We've been super happy with who we brought into the group.
"(Devine's) looking like she's getting closer to that power game that everyone knows her for.
"She's had to take responsibility within this team in terms of not losing wickets and sometimes with a player like that, that can stunt how freely you can play.
"But because of those contributions from other players, we're now starting to see her open the shoulders."
While the Sixers have won their two most recent games at home, prior to that they'd won just one of 12 matches at North Sydney Oval stretching back to the WBBL|08 final in 2022.
Speaking after Tuesday's Knockout, Mack hoped the Scorchers could exploit that patchy record, quipping, "I'm not sure about their record at North Sydney – I heard something about that."
The Scorchers meanwhile haven't played at NSO since WBBL|09, but Mack, who is well-acquainted with the boutique venue, said she felt it was one of the easier grounds to adjust to.
"It's a nice ground to play at, it's not like it has any demons in it," she said.
"That makes it easier to adapt to, compared to, say, coming over to Perth, when you haven't played there and you've got that extra bounce.
"I don't think there's anything too different than what we would have had in in nets or in other grounds.
"I don't think you ever feel comfortable that you've scored enough at North Sydney, and you look at (the Sixers) batting line-up, and they do have power, but I think we match them in that space."
Weber WBBL|11 Standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HUR
|
10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.662 | 0 | 15 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -0.313 | 0 | 13 |
|
3
SCO
|
10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -0.132 | 0 | 12 |
|
4
STA
|
10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.629 | 0 | 11 |
|
5
REN
|
10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.121 | 0 | 10 |
|
6
STR
|
10 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0.077 | 0 | 9 |
|
7
THU
|
10 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | -0.124 | 0 | 9 |
|
8
HEA
|
10 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | -0.869 | 0 | 1 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points