Tempo of WBBL suits Mooney just fine after gruelling World Cup

Getting stuck straight into the Big Bash off the back of Australia's ODI World Cup campaign was "tough" but in other ways a blessing in disguise, Beth Mooney says, after hitting her best T20 form at the back end of WBBL|11.

The Perth Scorchers' charge up the table and into Saturday's final against the Hurricanes has been led by opener Mooney, who again starred with a 44-ball 76 to set up their Challenger win over the Sydney Sixers on Thursday night.

It continued a purple patch for the left-hander, who has hit 76, 45, 94no, 21, 74 and 41 in her last six innings.

She had started WBBL|11 in ominous fashion, hitting 105 in Perth's second game of the tournament, before a leaner run through the middle stages where she hit 39 runs in four innings.

Her recent uptick has coincided with the Scorchers winning six of their last seven matches to qualify for the decider for the first time since 2021.

"It was always going to be tough coming off the World Cup, whether we won or lost, coming straight into the WBBL," Mooney said on Thursday when asked about the impact of Australia's ODI World Cup semi-final defeat.

"There wasn't going to be enough time off the end of that tournament and the start of this one ... it worked out okay, it's obviously disappointing we lost, but we move on pretty quickly as human beings.

"To get stuck into the WBBL straight away, in a different tempo and a different intensity, has been a lot of fun.

"The Scorchers group is a lot of fun, so it never feels like a chore coming back here – it's always a great bunch of girls, excellent staff."

Mooney is the WBBL's all-time leading run scorer, having passed 5,000 runs earlier this season, with a remarkable record that has seen her score 400-plus runs in 10 out of 11 tournaments.

The only season she fell short was in 2024, when she hit 386.

Speaking on The Surge podcast earlier in WBBL|11, Mooney insisted she would happily swap out a few thousand of those runs for more titles – and on Saturday, she'll have a chance to win a personal fourth, and her second with Perth.

To do that, they'll need to knock off a Hurricanes outfit who have had a dramatically different lead-in to the final.

While the Scorchers played a must-win game against the Heat last Saturday to qualify for the finals, then the Knockout in Perth on Tuesday before Thursday's Challenger in Sydney, the Hurricanes have played one game – which was abandoned at the innings break – since December 1.

"It's nice to be winning games that matter, that's for sure," Mooney said.

"Hobart haven't played for a week and a half, but at the end of the day it is a final, a big game.

"Whoever turns up on the day is going to win.

"We just have to switch on and I am sure they will be thinking the exact same thing."

"They've been the benchmark this year, they've been really consistent, they've been a great team on their home ground.

"North Sydney is a pretty flat wicket, I think Hobart is the same ... so I think we'll see a pretty high-scoring contest and I think the team that remains the most composed over the three-and-a-half hours will win the game."

WBBL|11 finals schedule

The Knockout: Perth Scorchers beat Melbourne Stars by 28 runs

The Challenger: Perth Scorchers beat Sydney Sixers by 11 runs

The Final: Hobart Hurricanes v Perth Scorchers, Ninja Stadium (Saturday, December 13, 7.15pm AEDT)