WBBL's young guns ready to take on the world: Smith

Watching Caoimhe Bray, Lucy Hamilton and Chloe Ainsworth tear it up in Weber WBBL|10 has come as no surprise to their former Aussie Under-19s teammate Amy Smith, who is tipping the trio to star at the upcoming underage World Cup.

Leg-spinner Smith, who is in Sydney with the Hobart Hurricanes preparing for Wednesday’s WBBL Knockout final against the Thunder at Drummoyne Oval, played alongside Hamilton and Ainsworth at the inaugural women’s U19 World Cup last year.

Having turned 20 earlier this month, Smith will not be eligible for a second crack at the silverware after the Aussies were knocked out in the semi-finals last time, but she told cricket.com.au on Tuesday she was excited to see how her former teammates would fare when the tournament gets underway in Malaysia in January.

Ainsworth was named WBBL|10 Young Gun this week for her top season with the Scorchers, while Bray played every game for the Sixers aged 15, and Hamilton has taken 10 wickets in her last three matches for the Heat including figures of 5-8.

"I think it'll be a pretty strong (team), I think half of them will have (domestic) contracts or have played in the Big Bash," Smith said.

"Caoimhe is looking really strong and will have a big role over there and she's only 15. 

"I'm keen to watch how the girls go because it was a great experience when I went.

"They've done really well (this season) and it’s really nice to see.

"I've had a couple underage series with them, and they're just great people and it's always nice when great people are doing well."

Australia’s best young talent will be vying for spots in that World Cup squad when the U19 Female National Championships are held in Perth from December 2-9.

Smith, meanwhile, is enjoying her return to Hurricanes colours after missing the start of her fifth WBBL season due to a stress reaction to her shin.

She was forced to sit out Hobart’s first three matches, but has boosted their attack since her return, taking eight wickets in seven games at an average of 14.25 and a miserly economy rate of 5.18.

The injury was another frustrating setback for the spinner, who missed the backend of the 2023-24 summer, including Tasmania’s WNCL final win, due to a stress fracture in her neck.

"I was fit again coming into preseason, but I had to reload with bowling so I wasn't quite bowling at my full max, and then I did my shin so that delayed a few things," Smith said.

"But I was still able to roll the arm over and work on technique stuff, which I think has helped coming in (late to) the season.

"I was a little bit nervous coming back in, but I guess all the balls I had bowled, even if it was off a couple of steps, it all adds up.

"Once you start playing and you're competing, it's a completely different game.

"So it wasn't the prep I would have wanted, but it's turned out alright and I feel like the more games I got under my belt, I felt a little bit more comfortable and I could really compete."

Smith has previously played in one WBBL final with the Hurricanes, a 44-run defeat to Brisbane Heat at batter-friendly Karen Rolton Oval in 2022.

Her spin could be a key weapon for the Hurricanes at Drummoyne Oval on Wednesday night, with the ground proving tricky for batters throughout the four games played there during the regular season.

Teams have only managed to score at a competition-low 6.27 runs per over at Drummoyne, with the spinners particularly difficult to score off, going for just 5.96 runs per over across those four games.

Hobart have never won a WBBL knockout game, having also lost semi-finals in the first two editions, and if they are to win WBBL|10, they will need to do it the hard way.

The winner of Wednesday’s game will fly to Brisbane to play the Heat in the Challenger on Friday for a spot in the final against the Renegades in Melbourne two days later.

But Smith said the closeness of the competition, which saw just four points separate the top four teams, meant it was anyone’s game.

"I think it's a really even comp, and it's really nice to see that all teams are competitive, so I think the finals will be really interesting and we'll see who can handle the nerves best," she said.

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