Mooney embraces first-up showdown with Heat

Perth Scorchers recruit Beth Mooney admits the first thing she did when she saw the Rebel WBBL fixture was check when she would face former team Brisbane Heat.

However, she insists their showdown on day one of WBBL|06 this Sunday will be like playing "just another team".

Mooney, the world's top-ranked T20I batter, created headlines when she left two-time champions Brisbane for a new home at the Scorchers this season.

When the schedule for WBBL|06 was first released on July, before border restrictions and bio-security concerns saw the fixture completely re-drawn, the teams were not slated to meet until November 7.

After it was revealed all 59 games would be played in a Sydney hub a new draw was unveiled, and now the Scorchers and Heat will play off at North Sydney Oval on Sunday at 10.20am AEDT.

"I did (check) actually, and I was like, 'It's all right, we're not playing them until later in the season'," Mooney told The Scoop podcast.

"That's obviously changed but I think at the same time it's just a new thing for me to be looking up Perth's games, not Brisbane's games. 

"Once you sign up for a team it doesn't matter who you come up against, a lot has changed in that Brisbane Heat side so it'll just be like another team for me I think." 

Mooney is the Heat's all-time leading run scorer and hit 749 runs last season to lead the Brisbane team to their second consecutive title.

She is one of three high-profile departures from that championship team alongside retired captain Kirby Short and allrounder Sammy-Jo Johnson.

The 26-year-old expects there will be a bit of chat ahead of taking the field this Sunday, but is content to let her bat do the talking.

"There'll be a few opinions flying around here and there, but I'm sure they'll keep them to themselves once we get on the park," Mooney said.

"At the end of the day your cricket does all the talking and everyone is just really interested to see what happens in the competition this year with all the movement that's gone on. 

"It'll be really close and Brisbane is a very different side (this year) so that first game will probably tell us a few things about how the competition will pan out."

Mooney's move to the west has united her with Australia assistant coach Shelley Nitschke, who has taken the reins at the Scorchers this year after former mentor Lisa Keightley was named England's head coach.

The pair work closely together on international tours and at Brisbane's National Cricket Centre, and the chance to continue that at Big Bash level was a major factor in Mooney's decision to move.

"She's just really well respected, she's an undisputed legend of Australian cricket," Mooney said.

"In terms of her capacity to get the best out of people, she knows exactly how to treat them and speak to them, and she treats people like humans, too."