The pain of losing the T20 World Cup final with South Africa just days ago is driving allrounder Nadine de Klerk to fire on her return to the Brisbane Heat.

The 24-year-old, who has played 17 WBBL games in two previous stints for the Heat, was a member of the South African side that lost to New Zealand in the final in Dubai just days ago after upsetting Australia in the semi-final.

The Heat open their WBBL campaign against defending champions Adelaide Strikers away on Sunday, a rematch of last season's final.

De Klerk is just happy to be back in action quickly after the pain of Dubai.

"It is going to sting for a while," she said of the World Cup final loss.

"You work so hard for those moments and obviously having a massive semi-final (win) against Australia going into the final you have this expectation that you can win the World Cup.

"Obviously it didn't happen. I am heartbroken by the result but ... it is great coming into another tournament and I am excited to get back on the field. Going home you might sit on the couch and sulk a bit longer but we don't have time to do that."

De Klerk was part of the Heat side during the COVID period in what was a tough time with a silver lining.

"We got to spend more time together because we were stuck in a hotel together for a long time which was great because you get to know the people you are going to walk on the field with," she said.

"I am very excited to be back in the same side where you are familiar with all the people and how things work."

De Klerk said the gap between the top teams internationally had now narrowed, although she expected Australia to bounce back from their recent shock loss.

"In general if you look at women's cricket even the likes of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are giving other teams a run for their money," she said.

"We know (Australia) are a world-class side and you are always trying to catch up and compete with them. We have done well the last year or two trying to find their weaknesses and ways to beat them but we know they are going to come back hard."

De Klerk is not the only familiar international face returning to the Heat with England star Lauren Winfield-Hill also back for a cameo two-game stint after last playing for Brisbane nine seasons ago.

The aggressive batter is keen to leave her mark against Adelaide.

"It is about throwing those punches first and getting into the competition and starting with a bang," she said.