Former Australia seamer Sarah Coyte, who first retired six years ago, believes her best cricket is to come as she prepares for Tasmania's maiden WNCL final.
Six years after her early retirement from international cricket, Australian seamer Sarah Coyte now feels her best in the sport is still ahead of her.
Coyte can make history on Sunday as the first player to win WNCL titles with three different states, as Tasmania push for their maiden trophy against South Australia.
The 30-year-old already has seven titles to her name, claiming six at NSW before shifting to South Australia and ending her former state's streak in the 50-over competition in 2015-16.
Coyte took 100 wickets across all formats for Australia in 81 matches before making the call to retire in 2016 aged 25 amid a long personal battle with anorexia nervosa.
She quit all cricket the following year, later returning on a part-time basis in the WBBL and more recently the WNCL without regular training or matches while owning and operating her own gym.
The 30-year-old's situation has her nicknamed as "the FIFO" in Tasmania as she only joins the team for matches.
But it has hardly hurt her cricket, topping the Tigers' charts with 13 wickets at 18.38 after a handy WBBL with Adelaide.
"I have that second wind again, a second shot at it," Coyte told AAP.
"I don't think I have hit my best yet as a cricketer.
"If I was to get a state contract, I'd want to train full-time again.
"I don't want to play for Australia, I just want to see how good I can be when I am in a more stable environment."
Coyte is one of four former Australian players to feature for Tasmania in the final at Blundstone Arena, with Molly Strano, Elyse Villani, Naomi Stalenberg and White Fern Rachael Priest all free to play after missing the World Cup.
Making the final is a remarkable step up, since Tasmania had finished in the bottom two in nine of their 11 seasons before this summer.
South Australia are without Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown, Tahlia McGrath and Amanda-Jade Wellington, qualifying for the final with just three members from their 2015-16 success.
But the fact that Coyte is now in the opposition is significant, after she quit the game on moving back to Sydney from South Australia in early 2017.
"When I stopped playing I honestly thought I'd never get back to this point," Coyte said.
"Especially when I started having things to do outside of cricket and I started finding my own way, what I wanted and who I was.
"It gave me my own path. You rely so heavily on cricket and the path it takes you down, you just don't know how to create your own.
"But now I feel like I love it again. I really enjoy everything about it again."
