When the ECB announced the names of the England players who were heading off to the Women’s Big Bash in Australia this winter, one name was conspicuous by its absence.

Nat Sciver was one of England’s few stars of the recent Women’s Ashes series, taking 9 wickets and scoring 175 runs; with Man of the Match-winning performances in the first ODI at Taunton, where she scored 66, and the final T20 in Cardiff, where she scored 47 and took 4 wickets.

So it was a big surprise to see Sciver’s name missing from the list of 7 England players who had landed WBBL contracts – Charlotte Edwards, Heather Knight, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Lauren Winfield, Sarah Taylor and Danni Wyatt.

However, sources close to Sciver have confirmed to CRICKETher that she is still hoping to play in the inaugural WBBL, which begins in December. Discussions are said to be “ongoing” but everyone is optimistic that the i’s will be (Deandra) Dottined and t’s (Kate) Crossed very soon – in short… watch this space!