Carey pinpoints key to Canes' improvement in WBBL|07

Australia allrounder Nicola Carey has pledged to do her bit to help the Hobart Hurricanes address a major weakness from last WBBL season as they seek a long-awaited return to the top four.

Carey, who has re-committed to the Hurricanes for another two seasons, pin-pointed batting as the area the club most needed to address after finishing on the bottom of the table three times in the past four seasons.

They last made the finals in WBBL|02, and despite efforts to bolster their batting last summer through the recruitments of Naomi Stalenberg and Rachel Priest from Sydney Thunder, their line-up never quite clicked in the Sydney hub.

Opener Priest (354 runs at 35) the only player to average more than 18 across the season, and Carey said she was determined to make a greater impact after she hit 158 runs in 10 innings.

"We’ve got a few new signings, a bit of a different look side and (adding) some people into the areas we want to perform better in this season," Carey said on Monday.

"Those people will add depth to those areas … our batting in particular, if we get more depth in that area and post some bigger totals I think that will go a long way to helping us win more games.

"I thought we bowled really well last year as a unit and we didn’t back that up with the bat. Hopefully these players coming in can bolster our batting line-up.

"I was part of that disappointing batting display at times so that will be a big focus for myself, and if I can contribute more in that area that will go a long way, and back that up with ball – I just want to win some games for the Hurricanes."

Currently, the only new player announced by the club is a bowler, off-spinner Molly Strano.

Carey was tight-lipped about their remaining recruits, but her comments suggest a change in Hobart’s overseas players may be on the cards.

Priest is locked in for another year, but South Africa’s Chloe Tryon (164 runs at 16) and West Indies Hayley Matthews (128 runs at 16) did not produce the campaigns they would have hoped for last season, and neither is contracted for WBBL|07.

The club’s bowling attack is already looking a formidable force, however, with Strano bolstering a group that will also welcome back Australia speedster Tayla Vlaeminck and leg-spinner Maisy Gibson, who both sat out the entirety of last season with injury.

Vlaeminck returns to a pace attack already featuring Carey, recent Australia squad member Belinda Vakarewa and Chloe Rafferty, while promising young leg-spinner Amy Smith has also signed on for another season.

"As a team, we were disappointed with our overall performance last season, so we’re definitely keen to improve on that this year," Carey said.

"However, there were still some great moments and individual performances last year, so building on that, along with the work we’ve been doing in the off-season and the people we’ve recruited, we really just can’t wait for the season to start and get out there and show what we can do."

Hobart Hurricanes WBBL|07 squad so far: Nicola Carey, Maisy Gibson, Rachel Priest (NZ), Chloe Rafferty, Amy Smith, Naomi Stalenberg, Molly Strano, Belinda Vakarewa and Tayla Vlaeminck