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The Perth Scorchers have secured the easy path to Saturday's WBBL final, but playing in front of a huge home crowd will pose some challenges.
Perth Scorchers coach Shelley Nitschke knows her players will have a target on their backs in Saturday's WBBL decider, and hopes they'll be able to cope with the pressure of a heaving home crowd.
The Scorchers earned direct passage through to Saturday night's final at Optus Stadium after finishing first on the ladder.
They will meet the winner of Thursday night's clash between the second-placed Melbourne Renegades and the fourth-placed Adelaide Strikers in Adelaide.
The Strikers earned their spot in 'The Challenger' after thrashing the Brisbane Heat by eight wickets on Wednesday night, with spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington snaring the incredible figures of 5-8.
The Scorchers will have had six days in between games by the time of Saturday's final, whereas the Strikers or Renegades will enter the match battle-hardened but somewhat weary from the flight to Perth.
"The target is on our back, but we've got the confidence that if we can play our brand of cricket and play to the best of our ability, we give ourselves every opportunity on Saturday," Nitschke said.
"We have to use this week really well. We've got the opportunity to refresh and reset.
"We had a bit of a chat about it before we left Adelaide about this week, and about keeping things as normal as we can with our preparation but also acknowledging there are going to be some things that are going to pop up for us this week and just to embrace it."
WA Cricket is trying to lure a crowd in excess of 42,000 for the final in order to set a new attendance record for a women's sporting event in Western Australia.
Nitschke would love to see a huge crowd attend, but knows it would also come with its challenges.
"It could be quite daunting, I think a few of the girls may not have played in front of crowds that big before," she said.
"So it's a matter of embracing it for what it is and acknowledging it's a privilege to be where we're at, and making sure that we enjoy it and put on a good display on Saturday night."
