Terrible home form a key challenge for Melbourne Stars to avoid another poor campaign

WOMEN'S BIG BASH LEAGUE PREVIEW - MELBOURNE STARS: New signing Elyse Villani will be vital for top order runs after largely poor performances from Stars’ overseas players last season.

Coach: David Hemp

Captain: Kristen Beams, who has announced this season is her last. The 34-year-old has represented Australia 49 times across all formats.

Overseas players: Mignon du Preez, Lizelle Lee (both South Africa), Katey Martin (New Zealand)

Australia national team players: Elyse Villani (central contract), Annabel Sutherland, Alana King, Nicole Faltum (all National Performance Squad)

Last season: Seventh

How did they do last season? One win at home wasn’t great. Worse was the five home defeats, two of which were by seven wickets or more and two by 48 runs or more: effectively thrashed, or at least comfortably beaten, in 57 per cent of all their home games.

Key players

Elyse Villani: Ashes squad member Villani has moved to the Stars after a four-year spell with Perth Scorchers, where she made 1,706 runs, making her the league’s third-top run scorer.

Erin Osborne: Only overseas players Lizelle Lee and Mignon du Preez scored more last year – 276 and 266 to Osborne’s 249 – and Osborne had the best average of those three. The stand-in captain when Beams was absent last season also took nine wickets.

Alana King: Young leg-spinning sensation who led the wickets tally for the Stars last season with 15 at just 18.66. Also stepped up with the bat, hitting a six to seal a dramatic win against the Strikers.

^{Kristen Beams has announced that this season will be her last}

Strengths

They took 80% of their wins on their travels, each success by four wickets or more. If they can transfer that form onto their own patch, they’ll do much better.

Weaknesses

Two of their overseas players and specialist batters Lee and Du Preez finishing 19th and 21st in the runs list, while relying on a 23-year-old leg-spinner who averaged about one dismissal per game to carry the burden of taking wickets was never a combination likely to succeed.

England involvement

None.

Squad: Kristen Beams, Lucy Cripps, Mignon du Preez, Nicole Faltum, Holly Ferling, Tess Flintoff, Nicola Hancock, Emma Inglis, Alana King, Lizelle Lee, Katey Martin, Erin Osborne, Angela Reakes, Annabel Sutherland, Elyse Villani

TEAM-BY-TEAM PREVIEWS

Adelaide Strikers

Brisbane Heat

Hobart Hurricanes

Melbourne Renegades

Melbourne Stars

Perth Scorchers

Sydney Sixers

Sydney Thunder