Meteors run machine Katie Mack has linked up with her Hundred teammates in Birmingham after a whirlwind week which led to her being called in as an 11th hour replacement for Australian star Ellyse Perry.
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Mack was drafted into the Birmingham Phoenix by Australian assistant coach Ben Sawyer following Perry's withdrawal from England's shiny new limited-overs tournament, aimed at cultivating a wider cricketing fanbase.
She's set to play alongside former Meteors Erin Burns and Georgia Elwiss in the Phoenix's season opener next Friday against the London Spirit, despite the fact that this time last week she was in Canberra about six weeks into preseason training.
"It was pretty much a straightaway yes," Mack said after receiving the out-of-the-blue call from Sawyer.
"It was all a bit of last minute so it was pretty stressful to start off with and trying to get over here was quite stressful. Now I'm here and we have our first team training today [Friday], I'm getting really excited."
Perry's withdrawal left a gaping hole in the Phoenix roster, and Sawyer didn't hesitate to contact Mack after her blistering summer with the bat which netted 418 WNCL runs.
It effectively meant Mack had to drop everything, acquire an emergency travel pass and secure two months off work before jetting out to England last weekend.
Organisers of The Hundred are adamant the inaugural season of the competition will go ahead despite the Covid pandemic, which has also led to Australian stars Meg Lanning, Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney and Rachael Haynes pulling out.
The tournament will inject a novelty element to cricket, with games to feature 100 balls per side.
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Among other changes, the word over has been scrapped from the Hundred vernacular, while wickets will be referred to as outs.
"I've been forensically trying to learn how to play it too, I think they're trying to build on the success we've had in the Big Bash in Australia and bring some sort of short format competition like that to England," Mack said.
"There's a bit of a difference. Ultimately I think it's meant to make a little bit of a quicker game, a little bit more exciting and cut out a couple of the things that maybe prolong the time - get a few more fans involved and a few more people to come watch.
"For me it's going to be okay, I'm just going to see the ball and hit the ball. Twenty less balls so you potentially are maybe going out a big harder, trying to play a few shots a bit earlier than maybe you would in a Big Bash scenario."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
