The Blaze begin their next Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy block against Western Storm in Bristol, and seamer Grace Ballinger says her team are as confident as ever heading into the 50 over format.
Despite the outcome of the Charlotte Edwards Cup Final, in which Southern Vipers overcame The Blaze to claim victory at Worcester, she highlighted the enjoyment of the experience, remaining certain that The Blaze will channel their group stage winning streak into the longer game.
“We had a really enjoyable T20 block and obviously didn’t quite get over the line, but to win all 7 group games was massive,” she said.
It gives us a bit of confidence to go back into the 50-over game knowing we’ve beaten everyone once already this year, albeit in a different format.
“We’re also in a good position being at the top of the table. Going into this next block I think we’re just looking to carry on with that momentum and hopefully start with a win on Sunday.”
Ballinger also saw the silver lining regarding their first loss as a team: “We’ve looked at how we responded under pressure in comparison to the group games and now know how to address that.”
“We’ve just got the remember that we have beaten every team up to this point. We lost one game, but we’ve definitely brushed that aside and all focus is now on the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
“That’s the Trophy we want to bring home this year and I’d say we’re in a good position to do it. We’ve just got to keep that winning mindset and positive aggressive cricket that we’ve been playing this year”
That certainty has shone through Ballinger’s impressive start to the season. Proving formidable with the ball against Northern Diamonds in May, she has demonstrated continuous reliability with the ball in both T20 and 50 over games despite her apparent preference for the latter.
“Personally, I love the 50 over cricket”, she said, “It gives me a bit more time to get into my spell, bowl a few more overs and really get comfortable with the ball.
I think there’s more contest between bat and ball in comparison to T20 cricket and I’ve really enjoyed being able to think a bit more about my bowling in training, having a bit more of a 1v1 against a batter.”
The Blaze have bagged two wins in warm-up games against Thunder and South East Stars prior to the recommencement of competitive action, which Ballinger hails for being a crucial display of the team’s strength and ability to adapt.
“We’ll have a slightly different side to what it looked like in the T20 competition with a lot of our players being picked up for various England duties here and there, but it’s a really exciting chance for the others who haven’t had as much opportunity to step up and show why they’re in the squad.
“We’re really fortunate to have a really close knit group. There are girls who are ready to step up and I’ve got every confidence they will do so”
“On Sunday I think we just need to pick up where we left off. Our final group game in the T20 was against Western Storm and we had girls missing due to England duties, but we still managed to take the win.
“We haven’t lost any confidence; the team energy is great, and the vibe is still really strong. We’ve got every belief that we’re going to go out and win on Sunday to keep ourselves up at the top of the table.”