Harris ready to fire after ‘frustrating’ setback

After a frustrating stint on the sidelines, Laura Harris is determined to make her mark on the WBBL finals.

Harris missed the Heat’s first 13 matches with a calf injury before finally returning for their last regular season match against the Thunder last Friday.

Brisbane will play the Thunder again in Tuesday’s Eliminator at the WACA Ground, which is the first hurdle in a bid to play their first WBBL final since 2019.

When Harris suffered the injury shortly before the start of the domestic one-day season, she was initially expecting to be back early in the season.

But the injury lingered, with a couple of setbacks delaying her comeback.

"It was a pretty frustrating seven or eight weeks, given it was what we first thought was quite a minor calf injury and I was aiming to be back at the front-end of the season," Harris told cricket.com.au.

"There was just a couple of little setbacks, once I got to the running side of things - my body just genuinely gave up on running I think. 

"I probably just pushed it a little bit trying to get back early, and that then flared it up again. But the last couple of weeks it's been great."

After losing three of their last four matches, the Heat will need to do it the hard way this finals series. If they beat the Thunder, they will play the Scorchers in the Challenger a day later for a spot in Saturday’s decider against the Strikers.

That came after the Heat were the form team early in the season, winning their first four matches.

The return of Harris, whose explosive batting is invaluable in the middle order, will boost the Heat’s hopes of becoming the first team to win the WBBL title from outside the top two since the new finals system was introduced.

"(Coach Ashley Noffke) got me to do the pre-game chat in the last game, coming back into the team," Harris said. 

"And I said to everyone it's been very hard to watch the last month especially given the start that we had. To start 4-0 and then having to play for a finals position in the last game of the season is less than ideal, given the players (we have) and the way we play. 

"It was a little minor rev-up slash frustrated chat from me, just reminding all the girls how we can play and how easy we can make it look at times compared to others.

"(But) I think we're in a really good position, still. 

"You're always going to lose games in tournaments like this but our last game, just to get back on the winning side of things, and the fact that both Perth and the Thunder have struggled in their last few games to put together winning performances, I think we're primed just to get the roll on going again, hopefully."

A truncated WBBL season has been the major disappointment in what has otherwise been a memorable year for the 33-year-old.

Harris turned out for Wellington Blaze in New Zealand’s Super Smash at the start of the year, then was picked up in the inaugural Women’s Premier League auction before also appearing in both The Hundred and the Caribbean Premier League.

"You always want to play in your home tournament the most (but) it's been a great experience, all of them are a little bit unique in their own way," she said. 

"The CPL is definitely the biggest party in cricket, they just love cricket and it's such a laid-back experience compared to everywhere else you go and play.

"It's been a hell of a lot of fun in the last year, definitely, and I'd love to go back to any or all of them and just ride the wave of enjoying cricket in different countries."

WBBL|09 Finals

The Eliminator: Brisbane Heat v Sydney Thunder | WACA Ground | November 28, 7.40pm AEDT (4.40pm local)

The Challenger: Perth Scorchers v TBC | WACA Ground | November 29, 7.40pm AEDT (4.40pm local)

The Final: Adelaide Strikers v TBC | Adelaide Oval | December 2 at 7.10pm AEDT/6.40pm ACDT

Grab your tickets or tune in on the Seven Network, Fox Cricket, Kayo or ABC radio