MATCH PREVIEW AND SQUAD NEWS: Lancashire Thunder vs South East Stars
Lancashire Thunder vs South East Stars
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
Sunday July 06, 2024, 10.30am
Blackpool Cricket Club
Squad to face South East Stars
Ellie Threlkeld*+, Alice Clarke, Danni Collins, Kate Cross, Phoebe Graham, Naomi Dattani, Hannah Jones, Emma Lamb, Katie Mack, Fi Morris , Sophie Morris, Tara Norris, Seren Smale
Captain Ellie Threlkeld has heaped praise on Thunder spinner Hannah Jones following the left-armer’s impressive comeback from shoulder surgery.
Jones, 25, only played three competitive matches for Thunder in 2023, all in September, but has returned to action in eye-catching fashion this season with 14 wickets in the ongoing Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
That haul leaves her as the joint second leading-wicket taker in the competition, with the Mancunian’s best of 4-50 coming in Sunday’s defeat against Sunrisers at Chelmsford.
Heading into that fixture, Thunder played Blaze in a friendly last week and she took a superb 5-13 from seven overs.
Ahead of Thunder’s next RHFT match - against South East Stars at Blackpool on Sunday, 10.30am - Threlkeld said: “It’s just great to see her back.
“She had a bad shoulder which required surgery. But there have been a few complications in getting it right. Since then, she’s had a few knocks on her hands and fingers as well, which have held her back.
“She bowls so straight, often the ball gets hit back at her.
“I have a laugh with her, ‘Jonesy, stop bowling so straight - the ball won’t get hit back at you so much’”
Whatever next. A captain encouraging her bowler to bowl short and wide?
She laughs: “For her own safety, yeah!”
On a more serious note, Threlkeld - also aged 25 - continued: “I’ve got a really good relationship with Jonesy. We grew up playing through the age-groups together.
“She’s been brilliant for us for a number of years now.
“She’s one of those bowlers who you know exactly what you’re going to get. From a captain’s point of view, she’s a dream.
“It’s been a bit frustrating for her over the last few months.
“All the girls have been delighted to see her go well, especially over the last week.
“Jonesy’s quite a quiet girl, and she just keeps her head down and cracks on. It’s been no different with these issues she’s had. She’s done her rehab, gone under the radar and all of a sudden she’s back. That’s the thing I love about her. Nothing’s a big deal, nothing fazes her.
“It’s a great attribute to have, and it makes her really good under pressure as well. She’s bowled some tough overs in key games, and she does it so well.”
Reflecting on Sunday’s four-for at Chelmsford for one-time England A spinner Jones, Threlkeld said: “It was classic Hannah Jones. She just went stump to stump.
“The conditions for batting were unbelievable - good pitch, fast outfield, short boundaries. In women’s cricket, if you bowl full and straight, it’s hard to get away even in the best of conditions.
“You know you’re always going to get that from Jonesy, which is what makes her such a valuable asset to have.
“She got a few of her wickets on Sunday with people trying to sweep her and get her away for a boundary because she was tying them down with dot balls.”
Jones has been picked up by London Spirit for the forthcoming Hundred. But before then, Thunder need her to keep taking wickets in order to help revive their semi-final bid in the RHF Trophy.
At the halfway point of the 14-game group stage, Thunder sit sixth in the table with two wins and five defeats from seven games. They are nine points adrift of the Stars in fourth - their next opponents at Blackpool on Sunday.
It’s the first of three games before the break for the Hundred and clearly a hugely significant one.
Threlkeld said: “We’ve got three big games, and it’s an opportunity to set something special up for the end of the season when we return after the Hundred.
“We’ve got so much talent in the group. In my opinion, we’re not showing what we’re truly capable of. That’s frustrating. But I’ve got full belief we can turn it around in these three games.”
The defeat against Sunrisers at Chelmsford saw the hosts bowled out for 253 having been 94-0. But Thunder were unable to capitalise on an impressive fightback with the ball, which included two wickets apiece for the spinning Morris’s, Fi and Sophie. They were bowled out for 224 in reply.
“Our spinners got us back into the game. Soph Morris, in particular, bowled really well,” reflected Threlkeld.
“If we’re being hyper-critical, we had them nine down (221) and let them get a few too many. But, walking off at half-time, I still felt they were par or just under. I fully believed we could chase that.
“We showed signs of doing the right things with the bat, we just didn’t do it for long enough.
“We needed one player to get in and go big. A lot of people did the hard work, got to 20 or 30 and then got out.”
Thunder have never played an RHFT fixture at Blackpool. But they have won each of their three previous Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 matches at the Stanley Park venue, including against the Stars last June.
Stars have won four and lost three of their seven games so far.
Their leading run-scorer Sophie Dunkley (293) is likely to miss this game because of England T20 duty, but seamer Ryana MacDonald-Gay (12 wickets) should be available having been in England’s ODI squad for their series against New Zealand.
Kate Cross, the newly ranked number two ODI bowler in the world, could also return for Thunder having played in the same series, which England won 3-0.