Renegades take long breaks, good and bad

The wait for Sunday was an agonizingly long one for the Melbourne Renegades, but fast-paced side Milly Illingworth says it allowed the sore players to prepare for the club’s first WBBL final.

The Renegades will face the winner of the clash between the Brisbane Heat and the Sydney Thunder on the hallowed turf of the MCG on Friday evening. The conditions are expected to benefit the pace bowlers with torrential rain forecast in the previous 24 hours.

Illingworth, 19, will be playing her third game at the MCG, which she said felt like a real home ground for the Renegades after their eight-run derby win over the Stars two weeks ago.

The challenge for the Renegades after securing the top spot is to face an opponent that was able to continue the rhythm of the regular season.

The eight-day break will be the longest Illingworth and his teammates have waited since their tournament began on Oct. 27.

“The nerves are starting to set in – it’s been a long wait after a lot of games in a short space of time,” Illingworth said.

“But it means the girls who picked up a few problems have had time to freshen up and get their bodies in order. So I think we’re in a really good place.”

Illingworth is considered a national frontrunner and can already reach speeds of more than 120 km/h. He was lured from the Stars along with goalkeeper Nicole Faltum and made an immediate impact this season.

Having bowled just 17 overs in 11 games for the Stars last season, the right-arm fast bowler has generally bowled three overs at the top of the innings and taken six wickets at a decent economy of 6.7.

In an important win over the Hurricanes in Hobart last week, she bowled all four overs in a row and recorded figures of 1-13.

“I love being able to play all four overs in a row – that was the main reason (for the switch), just having the overs in hand and getting a chance with the new ball was fantastic,” she said .

“The coaches were really supportive, and the same goes for all the girls – we were just encouraged to be ourselves and play with our natural talent.

“We’ll just stick with what we do well and hope that we come away from Sunday proud of each other and with the title.”