WBBL heads west for bumper weekend

Bolton tips runs to flow at the WACA

Scorchers v Renegades | Friday 5.40pm WST (8.40pm AEDT)

Renegades v Sixers | Saturday 12.10pm WST (3.10pm AEDT)

Scorchers v Stars| Saturday 3.55pm WST (6.55pm AEDT)

Sixers v Stars | Sunday 11am WST (2pm AEDT)

Catch the weekend’s action on 7Cricket, Fox Cricket, or live streamed via Kayo and the CA Live app, with radio coverage on the ABC

Perth Scorchers star Nicole Bolton is tipping big runs to be scored as the Rebel WBBL action heads to the WACA Ground for a bumper weekend of matches.

The Scorchers will meet the Renegades on Friday night ahead of a clash against the Stars on Saturday, while both Melbourne clubs will also take on the Sydney Sixers.

The first three matches will be broadcast live on 7mate and Fox Cricket, while Sunday’s showdown between the Sixers and the Stars – featuring a host of Australian and international stars – will be shown live and free in HD on 7’s primary channel.

The highest total of WBBL|05 to date is the 6-192 plundered by the Sixers in the opening game of the season and Bolton expects more teams to threaten the 200-mark as batters find form.

"I think everyone’s been a bit reserved (and) we haven’t seen the big scores we did early on last WBBL (season), but I think everyone is priming and we’ve got some batters coming into some really good form," Bolton said earlier this week.

"(Previously) 130 used to be a really difficult score to chase, but now but think the benchmark is set at 150 or 160 and at a great facility like the WACA we’ll probably see that stretch across the weekend as well."

The Scorchers boast one of the most potent top-orders in the competition with Bolton joined by Aussie skipper Meg Lanning and English stars Amy Jones and Natalie Sciver.

"We bat really deep, we’ve got some firepower up the top and Meg doesn’t like to miss out too often, so she’ll be itching to get out on the WACA," Bolton said.

The Scorchers are 1-2 after three matches and will be eager to put that ledger in the positive against the Melbourne clubs.

The Sixers won’t meet hosts Perth until later in the tournament, instead playing the Renegades and Stars.

Ellyse Perry’s team are coming off an emphatic win over the Stars at Hurstville last weekend and will be buoyed by the re-signing of allrounder Erin Burns, who has recommitted to the club beyond WBBL|05 after a breakout year that saw her make her Australian debut in the West Indies in September.

Strikers out to turn up the Heat in Mackay

Heat v Strikers | Saturday 6.15pm (7.15pm AEDT) | Sunday 2pm (3pm AEDT)

Watch live and free on cricket.com.au and CA Live app, stream via Kayo, tune in on ABC radio

Countering the threat posed by Brisbane Heat leg-spinner Amelia Kerr will be key as the Adelaide Strikers look to continue their winning momentum in Mackay.

The Strikers have three wins from four matches to date but will come up against a star-studded Heat squad – and a large and vocal Queensland crowd – in back-to-back matches across Saturday and Sunday.

New Zealand import Kerr has been quick to make a splash with both bat and ball since her arrival at the Heat and the Strikers have turned to their own two Kiwi imports, Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine, for tips on how to handle the 19-year-old spinner.

"We looked at the footage this morning and we’ve broken it down and picked a few things we’ll be watching for, but (doing it) in the middle is another thing," Strikers allrounder Tahlia McGrath said.

"It helps we’ve got two Kiwis in our side who know her quite well, they’ve definitely shared their knowledge and we’ve got our plans in place, so hopefully we can keep her pretty quiet."

McGrath said Adelaide could not afford to take anything for granted, particularly against reigning champions Brisbane, who have two wins from four matches.

"It’s probably the closest Big Bash we’ve had so far so every clash is really important," she said.

Both teams go in with unchanged squads.

Hurricanes hit home turf in Burnie

Hurricanes v Thunder | Saturday 2pm AEDT | Sunday 11am AEDT

Watch live and free on cricket.com.au and CA Live app, stream via Kayo, tune in on ABC radio

A trio of new Hurricanes will come up against their former team when Hobart host Sydney Thunder in Burnie on Saturday and Sunday.

Nicola Carey, Belinda Vakarewa and Maisy Gibson all jumped ship from the Thunder to the Hurricanes during the off-season, as Hobart coach Salliann Briggs sought a change in personnel after a WBBL|04 campaign that yielded just two wins.

"They’ll definitely want to stamp their authority on it," Briggs said of her former Thunder players.

"They’ve played for NSW and the Thunder and probably feel they’ve not had key roles there and that’s why they’re here, to be contributors and to make this team really successful.

"So they’ll want to prove themselves, no doubt."

After winning their opening two matches against the Stars in Melbourne, the Hurricanes came home from Brisbane with no points to show for their matches against the Heat and Strikers last weekend.

Home town advantage will be a bonus against a Thunder outfit that’s exceeding pre-season predictions, with three wins from four matches, while Briggs is also confident her batting line-up can hit its straps.

"Burnie is a good spot for us, we’ve got good memories of playing there and we’re playing a team we know a lot about," Briggs said.

"(We had) players who had really good practice games and scored big runs, so we know it’s around the corner.

"We’ve just got to keep the belief and the confidence and make sure when we’re in those pressure moments we stay positive and not play within ourselves.

Squads

Perth Scorchers: Meg Lanning (c), Jemma Barsby, Samantha Betts, Nicole Bolton, Piepa Cleary, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Amy Jones, Emma King, Taneale Peschel, Chloe Piparo, Georgia Redmayne, Natalie Sciver

Melbourne Renegades: Jess Duffin (c), Tammy Beaumont, Maitlan Brown, Josie Dooley, Erica Kershaw, Claire Koski, Carly Leeson, Sophie Molineux, Molly Strano, Lea Tahuhu, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb, Danni Wyatt

Melbourne Stars: Elyse Villani (c), Kristen Beams, Mignon du Preez, Nicole Faltum, Holly Ferling, Tess Flintoff, Nicola Hancock, Emma Inglis, Lizelle Lee, Katey Martin, Erin Osborne, Madeline Penna, Chloe Rafferty

Sydney Sixers: Sarah Aley, Alisha Bates, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Maddy Darke, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jodie Hicks, Marizanne Kapp, Ellyse Perry (c), Hayley Silver-Holmes, Lauren Smith, Dane Van Niekerk

Adelaide Strikers: Suzie Bates (c), Sophie Devine, Tegan McPharlin, Bridget Patterson, Tahlia McGrath, Lauren Winfield, Katie Mack, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Sarah Coyte, Megan Schutt, Alex Price, Ellie Falconer, Annie O’Neil

Brisbane Heat: Kirby Short (c), Maddy Green, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Mikayla Hinkley, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Jessica Jonassen, Amelia Kerr, Delissa Kimmince, Charli Knott, Beth Mooney, Georgia Prestwidge, Courtney Sippel

Hobart Hurricanes: Corinne Hall (c), Nicola Carey, Erin Fazackerley, Maisy Gibson, Brooke Hepburn, Heather Knight, Sasha Moloney, Meg Phillips, Emily Smith, Chloe Tryon, Belinda Vakarewa, Tayla Vlaeminck, Fran Wilson

Sydney Thunder: Rachael Haynes (c), Samantha Arnold, Samantha Bates, Alex Blackwell, Nida Dar, Hannah Darlington, Rene Farrell, Saskia Horley, Shabnim Ismail, Phoebe Litchfield, Rachel Priest, Naomi Stalenberg, Tahlia Wilson