Need for speed: Illingworth's bold aim to break pace record

Milly Illingworth has one clear long-term goal in mind when it comes to her cricket: become the fastest bowler in the world.

But first, the Renegades speedster wants to help her team claim their first WBBL title when they meet Brisbane Heat in Sunday’s final at the MCG.

Short in stature but blessed with pace and bounce, combined with a slingy action that is the product of a childhood spent studying old vision of Jeff Thomson on YouTube, Illingworth has been an inspired addition to the Renegades in WBBL|10.

She crossed over from rivals Melbourne Stars during the off-season, following a breakout debut tournament in WBBL|09 where she immediately grabbed attention when her first delivery in the league was clocked at 121kph.

While Illingworth is not yet hitting the sorts of speeds clocked by the likes of South Africa's Shabnim Ismail, who has been recorded at 128kph, she has continued making her mark in red.  

The 19-year-old has picked up six wickets and bowled at an economy rate of 6.66 in WBBL|10 and in the lead-up to Sunday’s final, Illingworth was still pinching herself at the prospect of playing a final at the iconic ground.

"You always get the nerves and the butterflies when you walk out into the MCG, whether you're playing or not," Illingworth told cricket.com.au.

"It's one of the best places ever to play cricket, and it's one of my favourite grounds … it’s such a special place.

"Nicole Faltum and I were talking about yesterday, every single huge game in Australia is played there, the Boxing Day Tests, the AFL Grand Final, it's the place, and the home of cricket."

Illingworth, who grew up in Port Campbell in south-western Victoria, has been honing her craft with Victoria and Renegades assistant coach Simon Mackin, who once played on fast-bouncy wickets as a pace bowler for WA.

The pair have been focused on finetuning her action, alongside plenty of hours in the gym, as Illingworth looks to gain every possible edge to increase her pace.

"I've always been looking to get faster and to hopefully be the fastest bowler in the world," she said.

"I’ve just been working on getting as strong as possible and having a strong preseason keeping those things rolling through the season as well.

"I've been really lucky, I've had a lot of great people around me in terms of coaches and Simon Mackin's been a huge part in how I've been going, especially at the Renegades and at the start of the WNCL season," she said.

"Simon‘s been excellent with my development over the last few years, and he's got a lot of belief in me … if I keep working with him, I think I'll hopefully pick up a few K's.

"I just feel 100 per cent backed whenever I go out on the field and I've got nothing to worry about, as long as I give my give them my best efforts and do well for the team.

"Feeling like I'm being backed 100 per cent of the time has really helped in my confidence in myself and in my bowling."

While Illingworth was not part of the Renegades squad during the lows of their WBBL|09 season, where they finished a distant last after winning just two of 14 games, she is conscious of the significance of their turnaround this season.

A win in her first year at the club would be a dream – but she said she was particularly driven to deliver a title for 10-year Renegades Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham.

"I think the girls that have been there since the start, just the credit to them," she said.

"They've stuck through the bad times, and they're finally seeing a bit of success and hopefully on Sunday, we can do it for those girls that have been around the whole time in the last 10 years.

"We're super, super excited, we just cannot wait to get out there."

Illingworth was equally effusive about the environment she had found upon her arrival at the club.

The quick was among a host of new faces who came in following the disappointment of last season, alongside fellow former Star Faltum.

"We've pretty much spent every day together, not on purpose, just because we've enjoyed each other's company, and we've been just spending heaps of time together," she said.

"We've got so much belief in ourselves and each other, and it's just started from the coaching group and filters down into the players.

"We know the ins about what makes us all tick as teammates.

"We've all got each other, and when times are tough, we've managed to get through it.

"It's such a great group to be around, because everyone's got their differences, and we all love each other for it. It's just been so good to have such a supportive group on and off the field."

WBBL|10 Finals

The Knockout: Sydney Thunder beat Hobart Hurricanes by six wickets

The Challenger: Brisbane Heat beat Sydney Thunder by nine wickets

The Final: Melbourne Renegades v Brisbane Heat | 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

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