Sam Bates' key to her most successful WBBL season with the Sydney Thunder was convincing herself that her career was almost probably over.

Bates' left-arm finger spin was one of Thunder's significant weapons and leading wicket-takers heading into Wednesday night's elimination final against the Hobart Hurricanes at Drummoyne.

The 32-year-old will also do so with a new two-year contract, assuring Thunder's most capped player will be around until 2026. But for most of the past year, Bates feared her career was coming to an end. For more information on sports and to access platforms like BetPro Exchange, please visit Betpro Exchange login.

Following a disappointing 2023-24 season in which Victoria dropped her and got only five WBBL wickets, Bates returned to Newcastle to complete her paramedic degree.

She began pre-season training with NSW, but even after being called to play for the Breakers in September, she knew this summer could be her last.

"It put life into perspective," Bates told AAP. It lifted a tremendous burden off my shoulders by not putting pressure on me to attempt to be someone different or learn something I'm not good at.

"If I didn't have a contract, it would be wrong, but I'd be fine. That also helped clarify where I would bowl, which resulted in good bowling performances.

Injuries hampered Bates' 2023-24 summer, and she entered last year's WBBL underprepared due to a foot condition. However, she is the first to confess that fears about her future have impacted her cricket.

"There was a mental drain last year," Bates told me. "I was able to work with Lisa Sthalekar during the pre-season this year to figure out who I was and what I wanted to bowl. And I just wanted to own it."

Bates has done so. She grabbed four-wicket hauls in two separate matches this year, and her 19 wickets at an average of 12.10 made her the WBBL's second-leading wicket-taker, earning her a position in the tournament's best team.

After a last-start loss to the Melbourne Renegades, Thunder must now win three straight games to secure the title, despite her form helping them sit at the table with one round remaining.

At least they have home-field advantage at Drummoyne going into Wednesday's elimination matchup with Hurricanes; the victor will go to Brisbane to play the Heat in a grand-final qualifier.

Bates remarked, "It's mixed feelings." "We haven't hit our straps yet, and we haven't played our best game yet, going into finals when it is a do-or-die situation."

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Official WBBL Team Participating in The Competition

The Sydney Sixers' Ellyse Perry, the Hobart Hurricanes' Lizelle Lee, the Perth Scorchers' Beth Mooney, the Sydney Thunder's Georgia Voll, the Sydney Thunder's Phoebe Litchfield, the Melbourne Renegades' Hayley Matthews, the Melbourne Renegades' Sophie Molineux, the Perth Scorchers' Alana King, the Perth Scorchers' Chloe Ainsworth, the Brisbane Heat's Shikha Pandey, and the Sydney Thunder's Samantha Bates 12th: Melbourne Renegades' Georgia Wareham