Bolton’s shift from orange to magenta paying off

Nicole Bolton had a moment where she wondered if she had made a mistake in moving to the Sydney Sixers, but the former Australia allrounder is now convinced the shift was exactly what she needed.

Bolton joined the Sixers this season after six summers in the orange of the Perth Scorchers.

She penned the two-year deal several months before unexpectedly announcing her retirement from state cricket in October, but there was never a doubt she would honour her commitment to the Sixers.

Even if her new-look uniform was a shock to the system.

"When I first got the uniform, I looked at it and I was like, 'Oh, what have I done'," a laughing Bolton told The Scoop podcast this week.

"It was just so pink, and it's really in your face, and I just never really saw myself outside of the orange.

"But the girls and the staff have been so welcoming, I'm pretty lucky being part of this team."

Leaving Perth had never crossed Bolton's mind before she was approached by Sixers coach Ben Sawyer.

But the 32-year-old had been left unsettled by last season's tournament played entirely inside a Sydney hub, and had been unsure of her place in the game since her international career ended in 2019.

"The end of last year was pretty challenging - I think it was for everyone involved, and it was great to get the tournament up and running, but Ben Sawyer approached me and said there might be an opportunity," Bolton said.

"I never really thought about playing for anyone else other than Scorchers.

"But sitting back after speaking to Benny, I've spent a bit of time with him in the Aussie program, I thought 'geez, to be able to sort of play alongside Heals, Ash Gardner and Pez, three of my closest mates in that Aussie program, and Ange Reakes … it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

"It was a fresh change coming towards the back end of my career … I think I probably outgrew the Scorchers program and they probably outgrew me. "

Bolton was recruited to help beef up the Sixers' middle-order and her recent performances have provided exactly that.

She has hit 169 runs at 42.25, and the left-hander found her feet in the tournament during back-to-back games in Adelaide this week, her enjoyment particularly obvious as she pulled out a series of reverse sweeps against India star Poonam Yadav.

"Making this change has really reinvigorated my love for the game, but also I think it's bringing the best out of me as a person as well," Bolton continued.

"I'm actually feeling really positive (about my form) … this format's been something that I haven't quite nailed and I've had different roles across my career so far.

"But I think I feel really settled in what I can offer this group and Ben's been really clear with me about the role that he sees me filling.

"I think you can see that in the way that I'm playing my cricket, I'm a lot freer."

Bolton's recruitment has given the Sixers a boost in a way they would not have expected.

Allrounder Erin Burns, another off-spinner who also bats in the middle-order, had intended to join the group partway through the tournament, having missed the start after returning home from The Hundred in the UK.

But Burns was unable to gain an exemption to leave NSW and quarantine in any of Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia or Queensland, and her absence means Bolton's skills are even more crucial.

"It's devastating for Burnsy not to be a part of it, and she's so valued amongst this group and provides so much experience," Bolton said.

"She's been sorely missed so far. We've been keeping her in and around the group as much as we can and she provides some witty remarks in our WhatsApp group, which is keeping us entertained.

"It's a shame that she hasn't been able to be a part of this tournament so far, but she's still very much with us, and who knows where the tournament's going to end up (for finals), so fingers crossed that she still might take some part in it."

While Bolton will not appear in the 50-over Women's National Cricket League this summer following her Western Australia retirement, she still intends to return to the Sixers in WBBL|08.

"I feel I've still got a lot of cricket to give, and I'm really enjoying this new environment," she said.

"So hopefully I can keep playing for as long as I have in me … I think six to eight weeks (a year) is perfect for me.

"I put my head in my (new job) and do what's required there and set myself up really well off the field, and then have that carrot of cricket to look forward to and to train and prepare myself for.

"I think Benny and the rest of the Sixers trust that I know what I need to do to be able to front up and perform."