It shouldn't have come as a surprise to see Lizelle Lee bludgeon early Sydney Sixers' bowling and briefly give rise to hopes of an unlikely Melbourne Stars win on Saturday night at North Sydney Oval.
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Ranked No. 8 in the ICC's one-day batting rankings, the South African's ability with the willow isn't in question. Her wicketkeeping though, is another matter.
The hard-hitting Lee, 25, had watched on from afar during the first two seasons of the WBBL, impressed by what she saw, both on and off-field.
"I have to say I was actually quite surprised to see how many people turn up for the games," Lee said on Monday.
"I've never seen so many people turn up for a women's game, even in international matches."
Then her friend and South African teammate Mignon du Preez, a Stars player in the first WBBL season let Lee know that the Stars wanted her contact details. One thing led to another, and du Preez decided to come back for another stint, while Lee signed on too.
On Saturday night they batted together as Lee belted four 6s and eight 4s en route to 64 from 36 balls as the Stars made a blistering start in pursuit of the Sixers' 4-242. It didn't end well though, with a mix-up between the pair leading to du Preez's run out for four, with the Stars ultimately falling 86 runs short.
"I had a chat to Mignon about it. It's just some basics that we need to work on, ball watching and making sure you trust partner at the other end," Lee said.
With Emma Inglis having joined the Renegades, Lee finds herself in a somewhat unfamiliar position donning the gloves. She has kept occasionally for her country but concedes she has work to do behind the stumps, intent on improving her footwork and hand-eye co-ordination.
"It's something new to me, I haven't had a lot of match practice, and it's quite different to a normal practice," Lee said.
"I'm trying my best and hopefully it gets better.
"I have to work on everything."
The Stars are looking to bounce back from their first-up defeat when they take on Sydney Thunder in Albury on Tuesday. England international Georgia Elwiss has been added to the Stars' squad for the match, which forms part of a double-header also featuring a practice match between the male Stars and Thunder on Tuesday night.
