Consistency key for Carey after WBBL promotion

A new role in the Hobart Hurricanes batting line-up has given Nicola Carey clarity in Weber WBBL|10, with the allrounder determined to help her club create history on Wednesday night.

After the Hurricanes underperformed with the bat as a collective in recent seasons, the club tried a new formula this season, which included promoting Carey to No.3.

The 31-year-old has since produced one of her better WBBL seasons with the bat, hitting 227 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 118, and passing fifty on two occasions – her first half-centuries since WBBL|05.

Carey had batted everywhere from opener to No.7 since joining the club in 2019, and when asked by coaching staff at the end of last season what she felt her ideal position would be, she had to admit she had no idea.

"Then they floated the idea (of batting at No.3) with me," Carey told cricket.com.au on Tuesday.

"So I knew about it at the back end of last year, and going into the preseason, I was able to work on things that are pretty specific to that role.

"I probably hadn't done a heap of specific T20 stuff in the past, so it was quite nice to have that time to work on it and get settled in that role."

Carey said while she felt her T20 batting game remained a work in progress, she had been glad to see that stronger preseason focus in Tasmania on the shortest format start to pay off.

The allrounder also had a solid lead-in to this season, turning out for Wynnum-Manly in Queensland Premier Cricket's T20 Max competition in August, before settling into her role at first drop throughout the T20 Spring Challenge.

"It's gone okay, I've still got some things that I can improve on in that space, but it's been nice," Carey continued.

"I feel sometimes because you're training with your state, you just train 50-over cricket and it's almost like this unspoken thing that you're going to go off to the Big Bash, and you've got people playing in different teams or whatnot.

"But we actually put a bit more emphasis on our T20 style of cricket (this preseason) as well."

The Hurricanes will meet Sydney Thunder in the Knockout elimination final at Drummoyne Oval on Wednesday night.

This is just the Hurricanes' second appearance in the finals since WBBL|02, and after losing all three previous finals they have played – semi-finals in |01 and |02, then the Knockout under the current finals system in 2022 – Carey said the club was confident they could finally go a step further.

"The group's in a really good place," Carey said.

"We probably haven't nailed everything just yet all in one game, we've done things well in bits and pieces.

"We've probably got a little bit of work to do with the bat ...  I think we've been going alright with the ball, so if we can keep pushing along with that, and bring it all together on Wednesday that'd be nice.

"It would mean a lot (to win on Wednesday).

"We've put a fair bit of work in behind the scenes, trying to work out how we want to play as a group, and we've got a really stable coaching staff now.

"So hopefully we can go at least one better than (in the past)."

WBBL|10 Finals

The Knockout: Sydney Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes | Drummoyne Oval | Wednesday, November 27 at 7.15pm AEDT 

The Challenger: Brisbane Heat v TBC | Allan Border Field | Friday, November 29 at 7.15pm AEDT, 6.15pm AEDT

The Final: Melbourne Renegades v TBC | MCG | Sunday, December 1 at 1.20pm AEDT

Grab your tickets or tune in on the Seven Network, 7Plus, Fox Cricket, Kayo or ABC and SEN radio