'I can get faster': World-class feat on talented teen's to-do list

The Port Campbell-raised teenager grew up honing her craft against men in the South West Cricket competition and now has a career-best 122km/h delivery to her name.

Australian great Ellyse Perry (130km/h) and South African Shabnim Ismail (128km/h) have recorded the world's two fastest balls in female cricket.

Illingworth is planning to join them.

"My next goal is probably 125km/h and then hopefully 130km/h," she told The Standard.

"I will try and push 130km/h over the next few years. Hopefully I will get there but we'll see."

Illingworth is small in stature at 167 centimetres but credits her pace to technique.

"I generate it from my lower body and when I have good momentum and balance that's usually when I am at my fastest," she said.

"It is more of a sequence thing rather than having a long run up like the traditional fast bowlers."

Illingworth, 18, is throwing her name into the Indian Women's Premier League conversation as she seeks opportunities to improve her game.

It will run a player auction on December 9 as its five franchises finalise lists for a March competition.

"It is a bit of stretch but I think it would be really cool," she said of making a WPL squad.

It is one of a plethora of options at the teenager's disposal.

She completed her first Women's Big Bash League campaign while still in school and will play for Victoria across the Australian summer with a long-term aim of making the national team.

"I am actually pinching myself - there is so many opportunities," Illingworth said.

"I am just so lucky to be in the system at the time I am.

"There's so many things that keep popping up and I am lucky enough to throw my hat in the ring.

"Emmanuel (College) played a big part in that, they gave me a lot of freedom with what I really wanted to do."

Illingworth graduated from the Warrnambool-based school in November while in the midst of her WBBL debut season.

"I flew back from Sydney a day earlier, had my graduation and the next day at four in the morning I had to fly to Brisbane," she said.

"It was pretty hectic but I was glad I could get to my graduation."

The Melbourne Stars pace bowler, who took two wickets across 11 matches at an economy rate of 7.29, said it was important to entwine her education and sport.

"Emmanuel was great with helping me deal with both of them at the same time," she said.

"I actually chose to do an un-scored year 12 so I didn't have to worry as much (because I didn't have exams) and could focus more on cricket.

"I was doing school two days a week in class and the other five days I'd be in Melbourne doing cricket.

"I can still get into uni through different pathways which is good too."

Life as a professional athlete suits Illingworth who is now living in Melbourne full-time in her own place just three minutes' walk from Victorian cricket's home base at Junction Oval.

"It was different. I definitely got used to sleeping on planes with all the flights we had," she said of the Stars' season.

"It is nice to spend a couple of days in a place - you get to sight-see for a day and then you're playing and training and then taking off again.

"A lot of the time you don't know what day it is but it's definitely a cool thing."

Melbourne finished the WBBL season in seventh spot with a 6-8 win-loss record.

The Stars were tactical in how they used the young quick.

Illingworth embraced the chance to take the ball when it came her way and realised it was a stepping stone to more responsibility in future seasons.

"I think there is always things I can improve on. I think I can get faster and my accuracy probably wasn't as good as what I would've liked it to have been," she said.

"I think having the first season under the belt will give me a bit more experience next year, hopefully I'll get more of a feel for it, perform a bit better and get more of an opportunity with the ball."

Illingworth took a wicket in her first match in October.

"It was very daunting. There was probably a couple of thousand people there at the North Sydney Oval so it felt pretty packed which was cool," she said.

"To play alongside Meg Lanning and a couple of the other Aussie girls was pretty cool. I was just lucky enough to sneak into the team with a couple of injuries to a couple of pace bowlers.

"I was pretty fortunate to even play at least one game.

"The main thing I've picked up is you see all these famous cricketers on TV and you wonder what they're like and they're all so lovely.

"They are just regular people which is the coolest thing and they are always up for a chat."

One player she faced throughout the season was Melbourne Renegades all-rounder Georgia Wareham.

Illingworth followed a similar path to the Australian spinner. Both came through the South West Cricket system.

"I know the Heytesbury Rebels or the Heytesbury Princetown Storm, they're called now, were really beneficial in helping me get to where I am and I'd assume the Mortlake Cricket Club would've been for Georgia as well," she said.

"It is pretty cool that Georgia and I have come from the same area, to (now) be playing in a national competition."