Jon Bateston has praised The Blaze’s relentlessness as they enter the home stretch of the Charlotte Edwards Cup campaign.
Cassidy McCarthy joins the squad for the top-of-the-table clash against South East Stars at Derby, with a win securing The Blaze top spot in the table.
The Blaze have now won all eight games this campaign - having also won all seven group stage fixtures in 2023.
The streak has meant the East Midlands outfit guaranteed a spot at next week’s Finals Day after just seven games, with a first place finish - and a theoretically favorable tie - still up for grabs.
“I use the word relentless with the girls, and we’ve seen signs of that coming out naturally,” Bateson said.
“I’ve never been a big table watcher - we have a process in place and you finish where you deserve to finish.
“There is value in finishing top - the theory is that you play a weaker team - but everyone is strong on their day, and if you get through to finals day you deserve to be there.
“We just want to keep our momentum going.”
Bateson also hailed the contributions from across the board which has seen them win 10 of their last 11 games in all competitions.
“It's a good sign that our depth, hard work and training is paying off,” he said.
“We are not concerned if we lose early wickets or we are not ahead of the rate because we know we have gone at nine an over without really breaking a sweat.
“Our confidence shines through. We have always been strong with the ball, but batting is an area we have had to focus on, and it’s good to see it working.”
Bateson warned against taking the clash against Stars lightly, though - a side who have lost just one of their six playable games,
“Stars are a team that has so much depth,” he said.
“They have all bases covered, and they are very strong - and they show that with their position in the table.
“We aren’t going to go into that game changing anything. We are confident, have been relentless, and we will stick to what we’ve done well.”