Hobart Hurricanes still winless after five WBBL|12 matches
Coach Jude Coleman said the defending champions remain alive for finals but a further loss could shift the club's focus to the future.
The Hobart Hurricanes remain winless after five matches of WBBL|12 and have yet to register a point, Cricket Australia said in a statement on Friday.
The defending champions sit at the bottom of the table, and two of their five defeats came on the final ball.
The club has lost several key players, including England's Natalie Sciver-Brunt, who opted out of the tournament, and former captain Elyse Villani, who retired.
Opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge suffered a season-ending injury before the tournament began, and spinner Linsey Smith is also out injured, though she is expected back before the season ends.
Speaking to media on Friday, Hurricanes coach Jude Coleman said the team was not ruling out a late run at finals, but conceded another loss could prompt a shift in focus.
"There's been a few heartbreakers, but I can't fault the effort from the girls," Coleman said.
The batting group has been the main concern, with the side scoring at 5.65 runs per over in the Powerplay this season, compared with 8.72 last season.
Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu and South Africa's Lizelle Lee are averaging 17.5 for the first wicket, while Athapaththu was retired out after a score of 10 against the Strikers.
"It's certainly had an effect," Coleman said when asked about the loss of the English players.
New captain Nicola Carey has been the middle-order standout, scoring 161 runs from four innings at an average of 53.66 and a strike rate of 129.
"It only takes five wins, history shows, to make that top four," Coleman said.
The Women's Big Bash League is the women's Twenty20 competition run by Cricket Australia, and the Hurricanes won their first title in the previous season.