SHE has achieved more than she had imagined with the ball already this Women’s Big Bash League season, but Lisa Griffith still feels like she has some unfinished business to settle this Saturday.
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The Bathurst talent turned Sydney Thunder star is determined to see her side win its semi-final against the Brisbane Heat at Drummoyne Oval.
That would make amends for losing to Perth Scorchers in last season’s semi-final. That would make amends for a disappointing three-wicket loss to Heat in the last round of the regular season.
It would also give Griffith, who is in her second season of the national Twenty20 competition, a chance to play in a WBBL grand final. It is something both she and her team-mates are determined to do.
“There’s a few nerves around, but I think that’s pretty standard, and we’ve definitely got some unfinished business there from last year I think,” Griffith said.
“We made the semi last year and dropped that one, so yes, we are definitely looking to be playing the following week.”
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In order to settle those scores, Griffith and her team-mates must improve on last Saturday’s performance against Heat.
It was Griffith’s toughest outing with the ball so far this season - she conceded 30 runs off two overs and was unable to take a wicket.
In her opening over both Beth Mooney, who went on to score a century, and Grace Harris punished her as she over-pitched.
The other Thunder bowlers copped it as well as Heat chased down the 172 it needed for victory.
Given Griffith’s consistently good line and length in prior games had led her to not only being one of the competition’s most economical bowlers, but take eight wickets, it was a performance which stung.
But she and her team-mates are determined to learn from it.
“Obviously it wasn’t a good day for the bowlers, that was something which we reflected on after the game. We thought we batted amazingly but we just didn’t bowl well to our fields, our bowlers just didn’t execute on the day, including myself,” she said.
“It was something we looked at, we know we have to really be a little bit clearer with our plans, what we are we trying to bowl to people like Beth.
“We were probably a little bit more worried about Grace to be honest and took the foot off Beth. But Beth is someone who is batting so amazing at the moment, she really took that and ran with it.
“It doesn’t always go to plan, so I’ve just got reflect on that and put it behind me and remember all the games I’ve played well in this season.
“You know those things happen, but it never prepares you for when it happens. When it happened I was like ‘Oh damn’.
“So this weekend we need to be really clear and back our bowling.”
Griffith was able to ease some of that disappoint on Tuesday as Thunder held a solid training session at Blacktown. It was hot, but rewarding work.
“It was about 40 degrees at Blacktown, so that was lovely,” she laughed.
“But it’s going to be pretty hot on the weekend too, so you just have to suck it up and get on with it unfortunately, make sure you drink lots of water.
“We had a centre wicket so we played a game. It gave us a chance to work on some of the plans we reflected on after last Saturday.
“My bit of confidence might have been down after last Saturday, so it was nice to get a few of those things right, especially early on in the week. It helped quench some of those nerves.”
Thunder held another training session on Thursday at Drummoyne Oval, the same wicket on which they will do battle with Heat.
Though a bulk of the Brisbane squad has not had prior experience at that venue, it is more familiar to the Thunder players.
Griffith hopes that will prove to be an advantage.
“There’s a pretty good vibe around I think, we play on these wickets around here often and it’s nice we are playing in Sydney as opposed to a wicket up north which might suit the Heat a little bit more,” she said.
“Drummoyne is a whole new game, it’s a wicket that we know and we’ve all played some cricket there through grade and rep games. I’m just hoping we can capitalise on that and put the Heat under the pump.
“We know we can do it, we’ve just got to play well on Saturday.”
While Thunder’s line up for the semi-final will not be revealed until the coin toss on Saturday morning, there is the chance that Rene Farrell will return.
Farrell broke her hand against Perth earlier this season, but before then was one of Thunder’s leading bowlers.
“She had a bowl [on Tuesday] which was awesome to see and I’d assume from that she will be up for selection,” Griffith said.
“I’m not entirely sure, the last couple of weeks it’s just been how the scans have come up and how she’s feeling and stuff like that. I guess we’ll just see how she pulls up.
“She’s just got to be ready to go in the field because I think Rene bowls well every time she’s got the ball in hand.”
It was the injury to Farrell which saw Griffith given the job of taking the new ball for the latter half of the season.
READ MORE: Griffith is enjoying a brilliant season
She has bowled plenty of overs in the power play when fielding restrictions are in place, while Griffith has also been thrown the ball at the death when batters typically swing hard.
But it has been a responsibility she has handled well. Along the way she has claimed the scalps of some of Australia’s best batters – Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy.
Backing herself to mix things up, bowling more slower balls and wider, full deliveries than her maiden season, has been a key to that success.
“I didn’t actually expect to go that well this season, it’s been a great opportunity for me even though it’s been unfortunate for Rene to miss out on these games,” she said.
“It’s been a great opportunity for me to step up into that role.
“On reflection from last year I bowled one-paced and got hit around a lot, so it was ‘What can I do differently this year?’ The slower balls have shocked a lot of people – and they’ve been slow – but if I can change it up and unsettle the batter, that’s what I’ve got to do, that’s the T20 game
“So this weekend is about being clear on the length I am bowling and having the field set accordingly. That’s the plan I’ve had all year, so it’s going to be about not straying from that.”
If Thunder gets the better of Heat, they will meet the winner of the second semi-final between Sydney Sixes and Melbourne Renegades in the decider.
Griffith would love to meet Sixes – the two-time defending champions – but said the focus is simply on beating Heat first.
“It would certainly be nice to knock them off the perch, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves,” she said.
“We’ve just got to do the job this weekend first.”
Thunder and Heat will do battle from 10.40am Saturday morning.
