Loughborough Lightning will be boosted by the availability of Australian star Elyse Villani as they look to bounce back from defeat in their opening Kia Super League (KSL) match, though it will be tough against defending champions Southern Vipers at the 3aaa County Ground in Derby.
The 27-year-old batter, a key signing for Lightning in their quest to reach finals day for the second year running, missed the five-wicket loss to Western Storm in Taunton on Saturday because of a shoulder injury but is expected to be fit to face the Vipers.
Lightning were restricted to 108 for nine from their 20 overs, losing Australian international Ellyse Perry to a run-out when she was well set and seeing three batters dismissed in the same over by West Indian off-spinner Stafanie Taylor to be 59 for five.
Head coach Salliann Briggs conceded Villani’s absence had been a major blow to her side’s hopes of making a winning start against Storm, the team who beat them at the semi-final stage of the inaugural KSL in 2016.
“Elyse is an experienced campaigner who can bat anywhere in the top five, so we missed that level head definitely,” she said.
“We had a good Powerplay but there was a little bit of inexperience in the middle order and ultimately we didn’t get enough runs.
“There was an unfortunate run-out with Ellyse Perry and when we lost those three wickets in one over realistically there was no coming back from that.”
Our famous deckchairs are all set up at @DerbyshireCCC ready for our game against @VipersKSL! 2.30pm start #Lightningstrikes pic.twitter.com/Jf0vqI46Ig
— Lboro Lightning KSL (@LightningKSL) August 15, 2017
Villani is expected to return against the Charlotte Edwards-led Vipers, who beat Lightning by 59 runs at the Ageas Bowl in the 2016 KSL.
“It was one of those where Elyse maybe could have played but we had to run it by Cricket Australia and they just wanted to make sure she was okay, which is fair enough with the Ashes coming up,” Briggs added.
Lightning opened with Perry and Warwickshire and England wicketkeeper Amy Jones and there is an opening in the middle order after it emerged that Sussex's Paige Scholfield will miss the rest of the 2017 Kia Super League with a thumb injury; she has been replaced in the Loughborough squad by Phoebe Franklin.
Although disappointed with the result, Briggs saw some positives in the performance, with Warwickshire’s Marie Kelly and 19-year-old Lucy Higham, the Leicestershire off-spinner, acquitting themselves well on their KSL debuts and Aussie leg-spinner Kristen Beams leading a good response from the bowlers that took the match to the final over.
Kelly and Higham combined in a useful late partnership, Kelly scoring 18 runs at No 8, and Higham executed a fine run-out of England captain Heather Knight.
“We were pleased with the bottom order for getting us to 108 from the position we were in with Marie Kelly and Lucy Higham coming in,” she said.
“And we showed great fight in taking it to the last over. Credit to the bowlers who bowled fantastically and we executed our plans in that department.”
Vipers thrashed Storm by nine wickets in their 2017 opener with New Zealand skipper Suzie Bates the star of the show; she took 2-8 with the ball and smashed an unbeaten 47 off 31 balls, including six fours and two sixes.
The Lightning-Vipers clash is part of a Twenty20 double-header at the 3aaa County Ground, with Derbyshire Falcons taking on Durham Jets in the NatWest T20 Blast at 6.30pm.
Stay up to date with all the goings on in the competition – including tickets, fixtures, results and team news – using our dedicated Kia Super League section.