Melbourne Stars South African batting ace Mignon du Preez says her side is working hard to "pull their socks up" and find top form after a slow start to the WBBL season.
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The Stars have lost both of their games by heavy margins, but will be out to clinch their first win against the Sydney Thunder in Penrith on Saturday afternoon.
They conceded a men's and women's Twenty20 record total (4-242) in their first loss to the Sydney Sixers last weekend, while during the week they lost by six wickets to the Sydney Thunder.
But du Preez said the Stars were under no illusions about the level they needed to perform at to compete with the best.
"Big scores are very exciting but it is an eye-opener - 120 or 130 isn't good enough anymore," du Preez said. "You need to step up, you need to pull your socks up and be better and better every year. So it is exciting and it's good to see the game is growing.
"With the batting in the last game we lost quite a few wickets straight after each other in clusters. That was one of the key things, we didn't really have a partnership or somebody that just stayed in. Ideally we want a top four batter to make a big score. That's going to be key."
Du Preez - Test, ODI and Twenty20 captain for South Africa from 2011 to 2016 - said she knows the Stars have what it takes to make the finals after narrowly missing out last year and losing Meg Lanning to the Perth Scorchers.
"Once we taste winning it will become a habit for us ... we know we have what it takes," she said. "Off the field we are gelling really well as a team, we just need to click on field and I'm sure it will happen."
The Stars brightest light this season has been batting powerhouse Lizelle Lee, who like du Preez is South African. Lee has top-scored in both of the Stars' games (64 and 31), with her bigger score including eight fours and four sixes.
"She had quite a few [contract] offers [from other WBBL clubs]," du Preez said. "Once she got an offer from the Stars I told her you'll be lucky to be part of a team like this. The girls really make you feel at home. She seems like she is having a blast.
"She is one of the most powerful hitters in women's cricket and I am excited to see what she can do for the rest of the season. We had glimpses of her brilliance so far but she has more to offer."
