Perth Scorchers bowler Stella Campbell has praised teammate Chloe Ainsworth for her standout performance on the weekend which included taking two crucial wickets in the Scorchers’ season opener.
Ainsworth, who is in her second season, claimed the wickets of Melbourne Stars’ danger women Meg Lanning and Annabel Sutherland early in the second innings at the WACA Ground.
These two wickets were essential in the Scorchers’ defence of the 122 runs they made in the first innings on Sunday afternoon, and helped them get over the line by 13 runs in the final over.
Reflecting on Sunday’s game, Campbell commended her teammate’s bowling performance on Sunday and her work in the off-season.
“Chloe’s come off the back of an injury and is just absolutely flying into this season so that’s awesome to see for us and it’s really exciting as well,” she told SportFM.
“She definitely broke the game open with those two wickets. I think we were right in it after we got those two girls out.
“She’s going really well at the moment and I’m really excited to see what she does for the rest of the season.”
Campbell is just one of the many young superstars within the Scorchers deep bowling line up, but was unfortunately left out on Sunday’s playing 11 in favour of a more spin-friendly line up.
Ultimately, this proved to be the right move with Australian spinner Alana King taking three wickets, including the all important one of Ines Mackeon who notched up a half century.
Along with Mackeon’s wicket, King also took another two wickets, while fellow spinners Lilly Mills and Amy Edgar also added two wickets of their own.
When asked about the depth and variety of the Scorchers’ bowling attack, she agreed it ran deep.
“As much as you just want to see a pace attack, especially on the WACA, I think spin is so valuable in T20 cricket,” she said.
“In the women’s game, I think it’s a really big wicket taking option. We’ve got really talented bowlers and a really great mix which is good for us.”
On the batting front, captain Sophie Devine and Hemalatha Dayalan should be available for this weekend’s clash against the Renegades in Melbourne. The two international recruits missed out on the opening clash due to national commitments.
“As far as I know they will be joining us in Melbourne after their series,” said Campbell.
“Obviously depends on how that goes and their travel and everything, I think both Sophie and Hemalatha are really looking forward to joining us in Melbourne.”
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