World Cup winner Danielle Hazell is ready to enter the cauldron at Headingley as she swaps white rose for red in the second edition of the Kia Super League (KSL).
All-rounder Hazell was part of the England squad that lifted the Women’s World Cup in such thrilling style at Lord’s on 23 July, even though she did not play in the final itself.
In last year’s inaugural KSL she was part of the Yorkshire Diamonds side that finished a disappointing fifth out of the six teams.
But for 2017 she has made the controversial trip across the Pennines to skipper Lancashire Thunder, who picked up the wooden spoon.
Her first match is a televised Roses clash at the home of Yorkshire on Friday 11 August, before the men’s match in the NatWest T20 Blast. It is one of six group matches being broadcast live on Sky Sports this year, all of which are double-headers with men’s T20 Blast fixtures.
The Durham-born off-spinner said: “I could hardly have a better one to start with but as captain I might keep myself in the ring and not get too close to the boundary!”
Hazell is determined to help the Thunder move off the bottom of the table and reach finals day on 1 September at the 1st Central County Ground in Hove.
She said: “Last year the competition was fresh and new but hopefully this year won’t be as daunting for the girls who haven’t played international cricket.
“We’ll have a better idea of how pitches will play and how the crowds will be.”
Lancashire’s line-up includes fellow World Cup winner Sarah Taylor, who had an outstanding tournament behind the stumps and with the bat on her return to the side after time out from the game to address anxiety issues.
They can also call on Australia all-rounder Jess Jonassen and New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite as well as Lancashire-born seamer Kate Cross.
The 29-year-old Hazell is hoping that the huge feel-good factor around women’s cricket after the World Cup win can continue.
She said: “The final was crazy and it was a bit of a whirlwind afterwards but we’ve had a chance to take in what we achieved for cricket.
“Hopefully this can spiral into the Super League and get people who perhaps haven’t watched cricket before to have a look and have a go.
“I’m very proud of all the 11 who played in the final and proud of just being involved. Everybody’s been on this journey – there have been a few bumps and a few tears but we’re all really proud of ourselves.”
Hazell revealed as well the nerve-shredding experience of being a non-playing reserve in the final as England’s bowlers searched for the breakthroughs to halt India’s run chase.
She smiled: “I was dreadful on that bench but the crowd was amazing. I’ve never played in front of a crowd like that before – the noise was incredible.
“Women’s cricket is still quite new and the crowd were really into it. Hopefully we can put together a few more games like that in the future.
“That was a springboard to lift women’s cricket up and going into the Super League it’s about trying to take that feeling on – people are still buzzing.”
The 2017 Kia Super League kicks off on Thursday 10 August when defending champions Southern Vipers host their final opponents from last year, Western Storm, at the Ageas Bowl.
Stay up to date with all the goings on in the competition – including fixtures, results, team news and tickets – using our dedicated Kia Super League section.