The knee injury sustained by Hobart Hurricanes’ West Indian star Hayley Matthews “doesn’t look good” when it comes to her immediate availability for the remainder of this summer’s WBBL, says coach Salliann Briggs.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Matthews slipped at the end of the her innings of 42 from 30 balls in the ‘Canes’ win over the Stars on Sunday at Burnie’s West Park, and had to be assisted from the field after the nasty-looking incident.
“We are still investigating where she is at and we still have some bits of conversations to have with the right medical people to know what do to there,’’ Briggs said on Tuesday.
“We are still unsure, but hopefully we will get some information this week.
“It doesn’t look good, but we still don’t know.
“If we can get a chance to get her in the back end, we’ll want to keep her (in the squad) as long as possible.”
The 20-year-old showed her value with the ball on Saturday, taking 2-23 with her off-spin, and also showed glimpses of what the next day would bring in the WBBL04 double-header with 18 from 16.
She was playing her first matches of the summer after fracturing her toe before the opening round.
“It causes a few issues because she offers both disciplines, so if we don’t have her we are probably going to have to find two people to replace one person, which is going to be a tough call for someone else,’’ Briggs said.
The star of Sunday’s 72-run win was India’s Smriti Mandhana, who bounced back from a second-ball duck to top-score with 69 from 41 as Hobart posted its highest ever score of 6-196.
Mandhana said playing in the WBBL again was a good challenge.
“As a player you need to come out of your comfort zone (playing in the WBBL),’’ the 22-year-old said.
“So as a player it is always challenging to play in the WBBL or the KSL (Kia Super League) as you need to understand what the support staff needs from you what the coach needs from you and what the girls are expecting and it is a different kind of expectation when you come in as a foreign player.
“That expectation can really help when you play in big tournaments like the world cup as that is the same expectations you get when playing for India in the world cup, so that is a good preparation for us.”
Mandhana, who tore her ACL playing for the Brisbane Heat in 2017, admitted she had had to have overcome some mental demons to return to Australia to play this summer.
The Hurricanes will play the Sydney Sixers on Saturday night and again on Sunday afternoon as part of the “big weekend” at Bellerive Oval.
Alex Fair
Deputy Editor of The Advocate on the North-West Coast of Tasmania.
Deputy Editor of The Advocate on the North-West Coast of Tasmania.
