In the last of a multi-part special, James Piechowski takes an in-depth look at the Kia Super League squads, finishing with Lancashire Thunder and Yorkshire Diamonds, before making some final predictions.

Lancashire Thunder

Batsmen: 7
Bowlers: 5
All-rounders: 5
Pace bowling options: 5
Spin options: 4 (3 OB, SLA)
Wicket Keeping options: 2
Left-Handed Batsmen: 0

Possible Team

• Matthews, Lamb, Taylor*+, Wyatt, Dottin, Newton, Coyte, Miles, Threlkeld, Cross, Ecclestone

Strengths

• Well balanced England and International selections
• Powerful batting line-up which could post some big totals
• Both pace and spin attacks look relatively strong in the wicket-taking department
• Plenty of specialist batters and bowlers, supplemented by 3 quality all-rounders

Weaknesses

• No Left handed batsmen – this will make it easier for opposition bowlers to maintain the line they are aiming for
• Fragility – The likes of Taylor and Wyatt are known to give their wickets away sometimes, making the roles of Matthews, Dottin and Lamb important for stability as well as smashing runs. This could hamper their strike rate
• Pace attack of Coyte, Cross and Dottin are known to concede a few too many runs at times, so Thunder will hope this doesn’t all happen on the same day.

Uncertainties

• We don’t know if Taylor will take up all the responsibility of opening the batting and wicket keeping along with the captaincy. Thunder have another wicket keeper, Ellie Threlkeld, who will probably get into the side for her batting even if not wicket keeping. This could allow for Taylor to experiment with her roles, but she may choose not to anyway.

Prediction

• One of the stronger sides on paper, Thunder definitely look set to make the finals day. They may be a bit hit-or-miss but could beat any of the other sides on their day. I think Thunder will be disappointed with not making the final, and they are strong contenders for the inaugural KSL title.

Yorkshire Diamonds

Batsmen: 5
Bowlers: 5
All-rounders: 5
Pace bowling options: 6
Spin options: 4 (2 OB, 2 LB)
Wicket Keeping options: 2
Left-Handed Batsmen: 2

Possible Team

• Winfield*, Mooney+, Blackwell, Armitage, Brunt, Gunn, Spragg, Ismail, Hazell, Butler, Davidson-Richards

Strengths

• “Challenger” team with some players looking to impress the England selectors. Winfield will be looking to make her case for England reselection into the T20 performance side
• A very canny brains trust for Winfield to consult, lots of big match experience particularly from Blackwell, Gunn and Brunt
• Generally strong and balanced squad with good mix of youth and also plenty of experience in both batting and bowling
• Two aggressive opening bowlers Brunt and Ismail should work well in tandem and are sure to make the opposition aware of their presence. They could blow away a few in the powerplay
• Both pace and spin attacks look strong

Weaknesses

• There’s no denying that the Diamonds’ squad are short of specialist batting. The problem is exacerbated by there being only one batting all-rounder (Hollie Armitage) who was not exactly prolific with the bat in the recent England Academy tour. The only other KSL teams to have only five batsmen in their squads, also have more batting all-rounders to support them.
• I think Diamonds would have liked another international batsman in their first XI line-up too. The batting order looks a little light after a strong top three. This could be a serious concern – unless the likes of Brunt and Gunn can contribute well, Diamonds may have to bring in their development bats Graves and Nicholls, and bowling options then suffer.

Uncertainties

• Diamonds may choose to play leg-spinner Katie Levick if Hollie Armitage is not able to bowl her allocation of leg-breaks.

Prediction

• Another strong contender, Diamonds should be able to reach finals day with a top-four finish, providing the the top three don’t give Brunt and Gunn too much work to do. Whether their batting will be strong enough to get further is another question, but they do have one of the stronger bowling attacks to limit opposition totals. I am not sure they will be able to get further but a place in the final is certainly within their reach.

Summary

Exit at Group Stage

• Surrey Stars
• Loughborough Lightning

Predicted Qualifiers (semi-finalists)

• Yorkshire Diamonds
• Southern Vipers

Finalist

• Lancashire Thunder

Winner

• Western Storm

In a multi-part special, James Piechowski takes an in-depth look at the Kia Super League squads, continuing with Southern Vipers and Loughborough Lightning.

Southern Vipers

Batsmen: 7
Bowlers: 5
All-rounders: 3
Pace bowling options: 7
Spin options: 3 (2 OB, 1LB)
Wicket Keeping options: 2
Left-Handed Batsmen: 2

Possible Team

• Edwards*, Bates, McGlashan, Adams, Greenway, Brindle, Rudd+, Schutt, Morris, Farrant, Gardner

Strengths

• Experience. The top six batsmen are all very experienced players, capable of constructing an innings, and know just how to pace a reply
• One of the better pace attacks in the KSL,which should take early wickets
• Plenty of knowledge and experience in game management, in an on-field brains trust that includes Edwards, Bates, McGlashan, Greenway and Brindle

Weaknesses

• Lack of spin options in their International and Academy players means that Vipers will have to pick one or two more development players than other sides to get any spin options at all.
• Academy players do not necessarily fit the team structure as well as some of their “county” players. Georgia Adams, who had a good recent Academy tour of Sri Lanka, is the only one of three such players looking certain to play
• Batting order, although experienced, is perhaps not the most explosive in the KSL
• Vipers may be at a risk of limiting themselves as they do not have much batting below the top six and so cannot give too many quick wickets away.
• Inexperienced spin attack may lead to over-reliance on pace, and Vipers conceding more runs in the field.

Uncertainties

• We don’t know if, or how much, Arran Brindle will bowl

Prediction

• I think the Vipers’ experience will see them to the top four, and finals day, but they may struggle to progress past this point, against sides with more flexible spin bowling attacks and more aggressive batting.

Loughborough Lightning

Batsmen: 5
Bowlers: 2
All-rounders: 8
Pace bowling options: 7
Spin options: 3 (SLA, LB, OB)
Wicket Keeping options: 2
Left-Handed Batsmen: 2

Possible Team

• A. Jones +, Van Niekerk, Perry, Devine, Elwiss*, E. Jones, Odedra, Scholfield, MacDonald, Langston, Grundy

Strengths

• Exciting and dynamic batting line-up who won’t hold back on their shots, but also have some solidity to back it up
• Some of the best all-rounders in world cricket
• Plenty of wicket-taking bowling options, both in spin and particularly the pace attack
• Most bowlers can also bat, which frees up a slot for any development player, appropriate to the situation
• “Challenger” team with many players looking to impress the England selectors

Weaknesses

• Relatively young and inexperienced team overall in T20
• A glut of all-rounders, which may make it difficult to know the best XI and establish a good, stable batting order
• Too few specialist bowlers increases the likelihood of a bad day in the field.
• Their two main spin bowlers, Grundy and Van Niekerk both turn the ball the same way
• Inexperienced captain in Elwiss, who may have to draw heavily on the field from a brains trust including the experience of Perry and Devine

Uncertainties

• Lightning are in a similar position to Surrey Stars in that they probably have too many all rounders. Again, this makes it difficult to predict an accurate batting order.

Prediction

• Lightning have a shot at a top four place. They should be able to beat anyone on their day. They could be a bit of a hit-or-miss side, and may lack the experience to go all the way in the tournament though. Getting through to finals day may be tight, but if they can do it, it will show their potential.

In a multi-part special, James Piechowski takes an in-depth look at the Kia Super League squads, starting with Surrey Stars and Western Storm.

Now the squads are fully announced, the key thing that strikes me is how balanced they are – the efforts to ensure a fair distribution of England Performance and Academy squad players looks to have reasonably effective. It is difficult to see, when facing conflicting interests to balance player and club interests, all the while trying to evaluate how much influence each player may provide, how the ECB could have done much better. Maybe Loughborough were left looking a bit raw in terms of experience, but they were given an extra Academy player to compensate. After being handed four strong looking England players, Yorkshire Diamonds may have looked to bolster their batting more from their imports, knowing that the other players coming in from the Academy or County could struggle to offer much with the bat. And Southern Vipers could have at least chosen an International spin bowling all-rounder knowing that they were struggling for spin options elsewhere.

It will be interesting to learn whether it turns out to be more advantageous for a team to have a strong squad all the way through, or whether the standard of the best players (the first XI) will be more important. As it is such a short competition, taking place over the course of only 3 weeks, the latter is perhaps more likely to be the case, as there is not long enough for players to acquire many injuries and squad players to come into effect. Also, the conditions are not likely to be hot enough to tire players out to the extent that resting players or fitness will be an issue.

One notable feature of the squad selections which I’ve not heard brought up yet is the lack if international spin imports. Among the players we perhaps could have expected to see, but are absent are the likes of Erin Osborne, Kristen Beams, Grace Harris, Morna Nielsen, Leigh Kasperek, Yolani Fourie and Sune Luus to name but a few. Indeed Harris would have been an ideal addition for Southern Vipers. It seems that most of the teams have decided to forgo additional quality spin options and rely chiefly on their medium pace attack. There is an exception to this, in the Western Storm, whose innovation in this regard could prove vital. Perhaps there will be higher batting scores in the league than we expect, as there will be more pace on the ball.

Surrey Stars

Batsmen: 5
Bowlers: 2
All-rounders: 8
Pace bowling options: 4
Spin options: 4 (3 OB, 1 LB)
Wicket Keeping options: 2
Left-Handed Batsmen: 1

Possible Team

• Beaumont, White+, Lanning, Kapp, Sciver*, Morgan, Smith, Dunkley, Farrell, Marsh, Hartley

Strengths

• Good balance of International players
• Meg Lanning
• Economical opening bowlers: Kapp and Farrell
• Flexible line-up with plenty of bowling options, both medium pace and spin
• One of the better spin attacks in KSL

Weaknesses

• The young captain, Nat Sciver will have to draw on an on-field brains trust including Lanning, Morgan, Marsh, Kapp and more. There is plenty of experience available but any competing opinions may be difficult to manage.
• A glut of all-rounders, which may make it difficult to know the best XI and establish a good, stable batting order
• Too few specialist bowlers increases the likelihood of a bad day in the field.
• Batting order may be prone to loss of quick wickets, leaving one established player to manage the last few all-rounders in scraping together a score

Uncertainties

• We don’t know if Beaumont will take up the wicket keeping gloves or if Kirstie White will. If Beaumont does keep, it would allow the Stars to either strengthen the batting or provide more bowling options.

Prediction

• They are not the strongest side on paper, despite the inclusion of Lanning. Their success or otherwise will largely depend on how she does and if the others can provide adequate support. The Stars may struggle to reach the top four and get into finals day, but it’s certainly possible for them. The squad will need to gel quickly, play well, and cause an upset or two to progress though.

Western Storm

Batsmen: 6
Bowlers: 2
All-rounders: 7
Pace bowling options: 5
Spin options: 4 (3 OB, 1 SLA)
Wicket Keeping options: 2
Left-Handed Batsmen: 0

Possible Team

• Priest+, Taylor, Knight*, Wilson, Luff, Lee, Fairbairn, Dibble, Shrubsole, Westbury, Davies

Strengths

• Batting order is both strong and long, with a good mix of aggression and stability
• Effective, experienced spin attack looks the strongest in the KSL, with the off-breaks of Knight, Taylor and Westbury supported by left arm spin from Dibble
• Two good pace bowlers to back them up, in Shrubsole and Davies
• “Challenger” team with some players looking to impress the England selectors
• Knight’s captaincy has been effective in the WBBL and she can use the experience from that, plus draw from an on-field brains trust including world-cup winning captain Taylor

Weaknesses

• No Left handed batsmen – this will make it easier for opposition bowlers to maintain the line they are aiming for
• Too few specialist bowlers increases the likelihood of a bad day in the field.
• Possibly over-reliant on spin. Any injuries to their 2 main medium pace bowlers, Shrubsole and Davies, will leave the bowling reserve bench looking a little empty.
• Davies was not one of the more successful bowlers in the recent England Academy tour.

Uncertainties

• A difficult batting order to predict. Lee could play anywhere from three down to six, or even open; likewise Knight.

Prediction

• Storm look a good bet to make the top four and finals day. They are one of the stronger sides on paper, with relatively few weaknesses, bar medium pace bowling backup. They have a  good chance at winning the tournament overall, and should be disappointed if they don’t make the final.