Perth Scorchers skipper Sophie Devine says her focus is entirely on getting her team into the WBBL|10 finals as she manages a hectic period of international and domestic cricket
Devine shrugs off World Cup winning glow, sets focus on WBBL|10
Less than two weeks after Sophie Devine lifted the ICC Women's T20 World Cup trophy in Dubai, the New Zealand captain was calling the shots for the Perth Scorchers at the CitiPower Centre in Melbourne.
In between, Devine had managed to fit in a three-game one-day international series against India in Ahmedabad and an appearance on the inaugural episode of new Big Bash podcast, The Surge, shortly after touching down in Melbourne.
Such is the life of the modern professional cricketer, and while Devine admitted she was still having 'pinch me' moments about the White Ferns' historic – and emotional – World Cup win over South Africa, her mind is now firmly on helping the Scorchers find momentum in a truncated WBBL season.
"If I'm being honest, I'm pretty dusty to be fair," Devine said of her jet lag following Saturday's game.
"Long-haul travel is not ideal, but I put myself out there, and probably wasn't at my best today with the bat or the ball, but I certainly back myself in, so hopefully after another couple of days' rest, I'll be firing again.
"Something over the last couple of years that I've really tried to work hard on is trying to have a bit of a break leading into each tournament.
"Obviously, the nature of things the last couple of weeks, that isn't possible, so it's just about mentally being able to shift from one tournament, one franchise, one competition to the next. I've had a couple of days to switch off from being with the Kiwi group and then coming into the Scorchers."
Quick turnarounds have been the theme for Devine of late. New Zealand hopped on a plane bound for Dubai mere hours after wrapping up a T20 series against Australia in Brisbane in late September.
Then, less than 24 hours after they won their first T20 World Cup title in late October, they were already boarding a flight to India.
That series ended on October 29, and Devine headed for Australia – via a stopover in Dubai – to join the Scorchers.
The remainder of her White Ferns teammates have had the chance to dip back into the glow of their World Cup win, having arrived home in Christchurch to much fanfare, medals around their necks, with some players embarking on a trophy tour.
Devine meanwhile will fly home to Perth with the Scorchers on Sunday, as they look to reset from Saturday's six-wicket defeat to the Renegades.
"It's been a pretty crazy two weeks, jumping between countries and catching a few flights ... (the World Cup win) is certainly something that pops into my head every now and then," Devine said.
"That is great, but I certainly need to start to move on now and obviously my full focus is on the WBBL."
Two crucial home games loom at the WACA Ground this week, against Brisbane Heat on Tuesday before they get a chance to turn the tables on the Renegades on Thursday.
The Scorchers currently sit fifth on the WBBL|10 table with one win and one loss.
A shorter season, with 10 regular season games compared to 14 in previous years, will mean there is less room for error or form slumps.
Perth impressed despite missing Devine and fellow international Hemalatha Dayalan in their first game at the WACA Ground to defeat Melbourne Stars by 13 runs.
But they were well off the pace against the Renegades on Saturday, bowled out for 140 in batting-friendly conditions, then unable to make any early inroads with the ball as the Melbourne openers put on a 102-run opening stand to lay the foundation for a comfortable win.
"We lost wickets at crucial times, and it probably felt we were at least 20, if not 30 or 40 runs short with the bat," Devine said.
"With the ball, we were just off all day, it wasn't until the last three or four overs that we sorted ourselves out.
"But we know that we can dust ourselves off and go again on Tuesday.
"To go back and play at the WACA is always nice for us, but we also know that the season is so quick and each game is so important."
Weber WBBL|10 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
REN
|
10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.527 | 0 | 14 |
|
2
HEA
|
10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.384 | 0 | 14 |
|
3
THU
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -0.002 | 0 | 13 |
|
4
HUR
|
10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.189 | 0 | 10 |
|
5
SCO
|
10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | -0.171 | 0 | 9 |
|
6
SIX
|
10 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | -0.477 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
STR
|
10 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | -0.357 | 0 | 7 |
|
8
STA
|
10 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | -0.205 | 0 | 5 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points