SA preview: Young Scorpions out to overcome final hurdle

South Australia enter the 2023-24 Women's National Cricket League season bearing all the hallmarks of a champion team except, that is, for a championship.

The youthful Scorpions line-up have reached the competition decider in each of the past two summers only to fall to Tasmania at the final hurdle, with the most recent of those losses a heartbreaking one-run defeat having surrendered five wickets in the ultimate over.

But while that calamity led some to speculate SA's title-winning window might have been missed, former Australia batter Nicole Bolton quickly formed a contrary view when she took up her new role as Scorpions assistant coach earlier this year.

Bolton, whose off-field journey began with a steep learning curve due to head coach Luke Williams' winter absence through Australia A and The Hundred commitments, believes the pain of last summer's loss was treated in the immediate aftermath of the final and few ghosts linger into the upcoming campaign.

"It's easy for me to say having not been in the environment at the time, but sometimes that experience can galvanise a group and I see now we're in a position where the group has really come together and they're really hungry," Bolton told cricket.com.au ahead of the Scorpions season-opener on Friday.

"That game probably gets mentioned here and there, but I think each individual player has gone away and reflected and been able to park it, and be in a position where they're comfortable to move on with the season.

"I've been super impressed with their work ethic, the way they look out for each other and their ability to take on feedback because they want to improve.

"If you look at the age profile of this squad, they're still really young and the great thing is they've been so competitive and put really strong performances on the board without the girls in the Aussie team (Megan Schutt, Tahlia McGrath and Darcie Brown).

"So they're in a really great window where - if they play good cricket, they're consistent, and their bodies are holding up from season to season - there's no reason why they can't consolidate their standing as one of the strongest states in the competition and have some sustained success."

If the Scorpions are to go one better this summer, they will again need to do so without the seam-bowling fire-power of Schutt and Brown as well as McGrath's bludgeoning batting with the trio expected to play only the opening round of WNCL games (against ACT) before international duty calls.

Given the absence of their Australia representatives, SA have appointed last season's stand-in skipper Jemma Barsby as captain with Bridget Patterson her deputy.

But as their results from recent years have shown, the talent that Williams and his coaching team have identified and developed can challenge the best teams even without their biggest names.

In last season's final, the new ball was shared by 20-year-old Kate Peterson (recently part of the Australia A squad to tour the UK) and 19-year-old Ella Wilson, while the Scorpions' batting mainstay for 2022-23 was Courtney Webb (23) who was named WNCL Player of the Year.

Emma de Broughe and Maddie Penna joined Webb among the competition's top-10 runs scorers for 2022-23, and spin bowlers Amanda-Jade Wellington and Barsby were among the six players to take 20 or more WNCL wickets last summer.

Should Wellington, who returned to Adelaide this month after playing a pivotal part in Barbados Royals' Women's Caribbean Premier League title win, earns an Australia recall the Scorpions can turn to fellow leg-spinner Anesu Mushangwe who took four wickets in last season's final.

As well as Mushangwe, the contract additions to SA's 2023-24 squad are former Victoria pace bowler Courtney Neale and 17-year-old allrounder Eleanor Larosa who has already won Australia under-19 selection.

Brooke Harris and Ellie Falconer are the names missing from last year's squad, with both having opted to take time away from cricket.

It's the Scorpions' canny recruiting coupled with the squad's average age of just below 24 - with Schutt (who turns 31 in January) the only member in her 30s – that underpins Bolton's confidence for the task ahead.

The Scorpions' off-season program, which Bolton has largely overseen with Williams overseas, consisted of three distinct parts.

The initial phase focused on 'foundation', whereby players not only worked on their respective strengths to make them "absolute weapons" but also complemented those core skills by adding new elements to their games.

The second involved scenarios whereby players were challenged to move outside their comfort zones and assess their capacities to think and perform under pressure, with the final phase is dedicated to match practice and in-game scenarios.

That culminated in a recent training camp on the Sunshine Coast which included games against ACT and Western Australia (Scorpions' opponents in the opening two rounds) as well as a win over bogey team Tasmania on the back of a century by Patterson.

For all the sharpening of skills she's led during the winter, Bolton believes it's the players' preparedness to work individually and for one another that has created the strongest impression of her new environment.

"They are so professional," she said.

"I've been in a lot of different setups, and I would really hold this program, and what Luke (Williams) and his coaching staff have created, as one of the most high-performance state programs if not higher than a state program.

"We only get three touch points with the players a week, but the way they really dive into their craft on those days and even the days they don't have structured training, they're in and they're working on their games.

"It's just unbelievable drive, they're fit, they're athletic, they've got a growth mindset and most importantly they really care for each other.

"It's a pretty great environment to be a part of."

Last year's WNCL result: Second (nine wins, three losses)

Contract list: Jemma Barsby, Sam Betts, Darcie Brown, Emma de Broughe, Josie Dooley, Paris Hall, Eleanor Larosa, Tahlia McGrath, Anesu Mushangwe, Courtney Neale, Annie O’Neil, Bridget Patterson, Madeline Penna, Kate Peterson, Megan Schutt, Courtney Webb, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Ella Wilson.

Ins: Anesu Mushangwe, Courtney Neala, Eleanor Larosa

Outs: Ellie Falconer, Brooke Harris

Possible best XI: Bridget Patterson, Emma de Broughe, Tahlia McGrath, Courtney Webb, Josie Dooley, Madeline Penna, Jemma Barsby, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Kate Peterson, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown.

Aussie player availability: With the Australia women's team entering another hectic summer that is expected to include a multi-format tour to India over Christmas-New Year, it's likely the Scorpions will only have the services of Megan Schutt, Tahlia McGrath and Darcie Brown (and possibly Amanda-Jade Wellington) for the first two WNCL matches against ACT.

The inside word with assistant coach Nicole Bolton

Player to watch?

"With putting the mockers on her, I'd say Maddie Penna. She's been riddled with injuries in her short career so far and it was just awesome for her to tick off her first proper pre-season. She was able to get a massive amount of work done, she's hitting the ball really well and bowling her leg spin as well. It's a really big season for Maddie, she's got three facets to her game now and I know she's excited for the summer ahead."

Young gun?

"I've been really impressed with Ella Wilson. She found herself in the team towards the back end of last season, and then got some Aussie under-19 experience in South Africa and she's just a naturally gifted athlete. She's done a lot of work on her bowling with (SA under-19 coach) Luke Butterworth and (Scorpions assistant coach) Darius Wyatt, so she's got more weapons to her armoury and more understanding of what to use in different situations. She's also bowling with more pace, she's an absolute gun in the field and I think she has the potential to be a bit of an allrounder. I think the challenge for her is finding time to do all three facets, but she's certainly someone that's impressed through the pre-season."

Biggest strength?

"Last year, I think we saw their ability to scrap and fight and win from any position. When teams can have a winning mindset and adopt it as a habit, they're actually really hard to unravel and this team did it quite a bit last year, so I know it's ingrained in their system. It doesn't matter what they've got in front of them, they're going to try and find a way to win. If they're under pressure they back each other up, and they know the people are going to do the job for them. So just being able to have that winning mindset, it doesn't matter what situation they're in they are going to take the positive approach."

Areas for improvement?

"It's really tough because I think holistically, it's a pretty well-rounded group. So it's not so much a weakness, but I think a challenge for the group is they've probably been the hunters and now we're going to be the hunted. It's a different mindset where teams are going to come at us now, they're going to try and play their best cricket. We can't be complacent and think things are just going to happen, we've got to be good or give it our best every time we're out there. That's going to be a challenge, but I think this group is more than ready to be the hunted."

Schedule

Sep 22: v ACT, Karen Rolton Oval

Sep 24: v ACT, Karen Rolton Oval

Oct 10: v Western Australia, Karen Rolton Oval

Oct 12: v Western Australia, Karen Rolton Oval

Dec 12: v Tasmania, Blundstone Arena

Dec 14: v Tasmania, Blundstone Arena

Jan 5: v Queensland, Allan Border Field

Jan 7: v Queensland, Allan Border Field

Jan 29: v Victoria, Adelaide Oval (D/N)

Jan 31: v Victoria, Karen Rolton Oval

Feb 15: v New South Wales, Cricket Central, Sydney Olympic Park

Feb 17: v New South Wales, Cricket Central, Sydney Olympic Park