WBBL preview: du Preez key to Heat core taking the next step

Last season: 8-5 win-loss (1 no result). Knocked out of The Challenger (third)

WBBL|09 draft picks: Amelia Kerr (NZ, Pick 6), Bess Heath (England, Pick 19).

WBBL|09 squad: Mignon du Preez (South Africa), Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Bess Heath (England), Mikayla Hinkley, Ellie Johnston, Jess Jonassen, Amelia Kerr (New Zealand), Charli Knott, Grace Parsons, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Sippel, Georgia Voll. Replacement player: Sarah Glenn (England)

In: Mignon du Preez (direct nomination), Bess Heath (draft pick), Lucy Hamilton, Sarah Glenn (replacement international)

Out: Danni Wyatt, Jess Kerr (drafted by Sixers), Zoe Cooke

Possible best XI: Georgia Redmayne, Grace Harris, Georgia Voll, Amelia Kerr, Mignon du Preez, Laura Harris, Jess Jonassen, Charli Knott, Courtney Sippel, Nicola Hancock, Lucy Hamilton

Player availability: Amelia Kerr will not join the squad until after their fourth match, though the Heat have secured England leg-spinner Sarah Glenn to offset the Kiwi allrounder's absence.

Inside word with Jess Jonassen

The Heat have largely stuck solid with the group that took them to a Challenger final 12 months ago and skipper Jess Jonassen insists that is "pretty much by design".

"In terms of future success, we believe you want a pretty dominant nucleus of players that understand the intricacies of how the team operates, how you want to play the game, and how you want to approach things," Jonassen tells cricket.com.au.

"So consistency of squads is crucial, and from a cultural point of view as well, we've always said we want great players, but even better people."

And as with the Queensland Fire squad in the WNCL, a large chunk of the Heat's roster is made up of elite young homegrown talent.

"We're pretty fortunate that we've got a large portion of (Australia's) domestic talent in our state," Jonassen adds. "With a lot of those players, it's about identifying early that they're the future of the franchise and wanting to lock them away in long-term deals."

Draft strategy: The Heat retained mainstay Kerr as their platinum pick then plumbed for Englishwoman Bess Heath as their second pick. Heath, who has Big Bash experience with Melbourne Stars, is also a capable back-up 'keeper to Georgia Redmayne, while another ex-Stars player, South African Mignon du Preez, was seized after the draft via the league's direct nomination rule.

"Our team has been on the receiving end of some of (du Preez's) greatest WBBL knocks," says Jonassen. "We identified we needed a solid middle-order batter who's really good at playing spin, and she's someone who has shown that she can do that.

"She moves about the crease really well and looks to disrupt bowlers and manipulate fields, she's a hard runner between the wickets, she's also really good in the field, and she's an all-around good human being as well.

"So she was someone we'd had our eye on for a number of years."

Batting riches: Jonassen says the Heat have built a squad with considerable batting depth as they see edges in a tight competition being found through having an array of players capable of filling different needs at different times.

"It's becoming more and more about matchups," she explains. "It's not always necessarily whether you're the highest performing or the most consistent batter; sometimes it might be that this player is statistically better at facing this type of bowling, or in these conditions, so we're always trying to position people within the team or within batting orders where we believe we'll get the best out of them and their skillsets."

Young gun to watch: "We haven't seen the best of Georgia Voll yet on the WBBL scene. She's an exceptional talent. She scored 140-odd in the first round of the WNCL last year and 120 in the final of the T20 Max recently. She's also bowling some handy off-spinners a lot more at the moment, and she's well and truly set up for big summer. Hopefully it comes off because she's got a massive future. And the same with Charli Knott, they're two players who have been earmarked for big things and hopefully we can see the best of them this season."

Team to beat: "The Thunder have recruited really well, signing Marizanne Kapp and Lauren Bell, as well as a few others, but I think the form that Hayley Matthews is in at the moment, she could potentially take the Renegades to a final."

WBBL|09 Team Guides

Adelaide Strikers | Brisbane Heat | Hobart Hurricanes | Melbourne Renegades | Melbourne Stars | Perth Scorchers | Sydney Sixers | Sydney Thunder

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