Mills thrills after Scorchers punt on 'wasted' talent

Beth Mooney has revealed how she helped lure Lilly Mills to the Perth Scorchers, believing the off-spinner's talent was being wasted on the bench at the Brisbane Heat.

Mills made an immediate impact in her Scorchers debut on Sunday in just her second ever Weber WBBL game, taking the key wicket of Heat captain Jess Jonassen and impressing skipper Sophie Devine enough to be thrown the ball for the critical final over.

With the Heat needing 10 from the final six balls, Mills bowled Georgia Prestwidge but missed a run out opportunity on the final delivery, sending the game to a Super Over.

However, her poise under immense pressure showed Mooney she had not erred when encouraging coach Shelley Nitschke to sign the 20-year-old.

"She's the kind of talent that's wasted sitting on the sidelines," Mooney said.

"Shelley (Nitschke) asked me a little bit about her in the off-season, and we both agreed that we needed a finger spinner in our line-up.

"And for someone like her to be sitting on the bench at Brisbane Heat and not getting a lot of opportunity, we saw that as a real opportunity for us to get her.

"To come out and bowl some pretty crucial overs against her former team in a tight situation, it showed she's got the skill set and belief in her own game.

"And we had the belief in her to do that. It was a huge call letting her bowl that last over, but we backed her in and she delivered when it mattered."

Mooney knows Mills well given they play club cricket together for Sandgate-Redcliffe in Queensland's Premier competition and have been state teammates at the Fire since 2019.

Mills had been on the Heat's list for two seasons but managed only a single game during that time, against the Renegades in WBBL|05 when she was not required to bat or bowl.

Opportunities at that club were difficult to come by given the Heat's strong crop of spinners that included Australia star Jonassen, New Zealand leg-spinner Amelia Kerr, key off-spinner Grace Harris, and two other off-spin allrounder options in Georgia Voll and Charli Knott.

Meanwhile the Scorchers were hunting for someone to replace off-spinners Emma King, who retired at the end of last season, and Nicole Bolton, who moved to Sydney Sixers. 

"She absolutely delivered when it mattered against her old team and under pressure … showed a lot of composure," Mooney continued.

"I'm not surprised that she delivered that performance on the big stage, I think she's had it in her for a long time, but she just needed to be backed and valued and respected and given the opportunity.

"I know that this team and this group of support staff have been able to do that for her and hopefully they can continue to see the best of Lilly over the next few weeks."

Mills had also grasped her chance during last season’s domestic 50-over competition; she was handed a Queensland debut against NSW when Jonassen left for Australia's tour of New Zealand and a week later took 3-36, including the key scalp of Elyse Villani, in the final against Victoria.

She is not the only Queensland product making an immediate impact after moving interstate for the Big Bash, with 18-year-old allrounder Ruth Johnston opening the batting for the Hobart Hurricanes in her debut WBBL season.

The Scorchers snatched victory in the Super Over of Sunday’s season opener, with an immediate rematch between the teams scheduled for Tuesday evening.

"It gives a huge amount of confidence to the group, we were staring down the barrel halfway through that second innings," Mooney said.

"I was really impressed by the character and the fight that was shown from our bowling unit and our fielding unit."