WNCL: Emma Manix-Geeves wins call-up to Tasmanian squad

One of the state's brightest prospects, the 20-year-old keeper-batter was delisted from the Tigers' set-up in May last year after just two years in the program.

She has since compiled 504 runs at 63 in the Cricket Tasmania Premier League and joins Nicola Carey, Heather Graham, Emma Thompson and Hollie Armitage as the only players to make a hundred this season.

Coach Salliann Briggs said Manix-Geeves' performances in a much-improved CTPL had been too hard to ignore as the Tigers prepare to fly to Canberra for season-opening clashes with ACT and South Australia.

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"We've had in the past where players have scored big runs but potentially might have been dropped frequently just because of the standard [of the CTPL] unfortunately," Briggs said.

"She's earned that space and what we needed is that batting back-up ... we just needed to make sure we've got that spare batter."

Manix-Geeves joins a 14-player squad which includes fellow homegrown talents in Sasha Moloney (captain), Brooke Hepburn, Meg Phillips and Amy Smith.

Tasmania's youngest-ever debutant at age 14 in 2019, Smith was one of the shining lights of the Hurricanes' otherwise disappointing WBBL campaign.

Of her teammates, only international pair Nicola Carey and Hayley Matthews collected more wickets than Smith's eight.

"[Smith] featured a couple of years ago, got a contract and was absolutely excellent in the WBBL, " Briggs said.

"For a 16-year-old to cope with that amount of pressure, I'm really excited to see how she gets on in the WNCL."

This year's WNCL season will finally begin on Friday having been postponed twice due to border closures.

Moloney is confident her side, which features the experience of Carey, Rachel Priest, Corinne Hall and Naomi Stalenberg, will adapt well to the changes.

"It's obviously been a bit of a funny year not having played any gamed before WBBL, but the girls are really excited to head over the Canberra and play a couple of games," Moloney said.

"Heading into the longer format I think we've got a really good team and are going to be really competitive against ACT and South Australia."