Kimmince ready to seize the moment in unusual summer

After having more than one COVID-19 curveball thrown her way this year, Australia allrounder Delissa Kimmince knows as well as anyone how important flexibility will be this summer.

Since helping Australia take out the T20 World Cup in front of 86,174 people at the MCG on March 8, Kimmince has had a tour of South Africa postponed, a wedding rescheduled, honeymoon plans shelved and worked her way through a preseason like no other.

But in a time that has wreaked havoc to the plans of all, the pandemic at least did not get in the way of one major milestone on Saturday, when Kimmince married her partner, and fellow two-time Brisbane Heat champion, Laura Harris.

The pair had already rescheduled once, and while restrictions limited the guest list to 100 and prevented some friends travelling from interstate to attend, Kimmince knew they had to take their opportunity while it presented itself.

"With the cricket schedule, we couldn’t postpone it for a year because we don’t know what will be happening in a year," Kimmince explained to cricket.com.au in the lead-up to the big day.

Fortunately for Kimmince and Harris – a nurse who has been working on the frontlines through the pandemic while also in preseason training for Queensland – there were no last-minute changes, as they celebrated with guests including bridesmaid (and fellow Queensland cricketer) Grace Harris, and Australian allrounder Jess Jonassen.

That ability to adapt will be crucial for the newlyweds this summer, with travel restrictions and COVID-19 precautions likely to force much of the season into hubs.

With no dates confirmed for the 50-over Women’s National Cricket League, it is likely next month’s limited-overs series between Australia and New Zealand will be the first elite women’s cricket played in this country since the start of the pandemic.

That uncertainty has made the typical preseason build-up more difficult than usual to manage, but Kimmince was full of praise for the approach taken by Queensland coach Ashley Noffke and his staff, while she has remained in close contact with Australia coach Matthew Mott and his assistant Shelley Nitschke.

"I’ve just been trying to get my body right and using the extra bit of time we’ve had wisely, to try and get my niggles under control," Kimmince said.

"They’ve been good, which is a positive so hopefully that means they don’t give me too much drama through the season.

"But we don’t really know what that looks like at the moment.

"At the start we were all panicking a bit and feeling like we didn’t know what was happening, but the coaches in Queensland have been really good, they don’t want us burning out too early given we don’t 100 per cent know when we’ll be starting or what the season will look like.

"I feel really good, I feel as fresh as I can be, I’m moving well, so it’s all positive form my end.

"I’m working towards that (New Zealand series) but I’ll play it by ear when things evolve."

After a prolonged break from the game, Kimmince is simply ready to bid farewell to the toil of preseason training and sink her teeth into season 2020-21 – whatever it may bring.

The Rebel WBBL is currently scheduled to begin shortly after the end of the New Zealand series, on October 17, with dates for the WNCL yet to be confirmed.

The 2021 one-day World Cup in New Zealand has officially been postponed until 2022, but Australia and New Zealand are in early talks about staging a return limited-overs series across the Tasman in that February-March window instead.

"I’ll be looking forward to getting back into any colours, to be honest," Kimmince said.

"It’s one of those sports where you can only train so much in the nets, but if you’re not seeing results it’s a little disheartening sometimes.

"I play my best cricket when I’m not overthinking it.

"The last few years being back in the Aussie team, it’s the most relaxed I’ve felt about my cricket and enjoying it.

"Not every day works and that’s okay and I’ve accepted that, that’s how cricket is.

"I feel like the last few years I’ve settled a bit in my cricket, I try not to overthink it and just enjoy the opportunities when they come."