Aussies are more than beatable, says Wyatt

JAMES COYNE: T20 opener says that England must kill off Australia’s feeling that “they are way ahead of us now” in women’s cricket

Danni Wyatt cannot wait for the chance to bring Australia “down a peg or two” and win the Women’s Ashes back for England.

Australia have had bragging rights in recent years, with England not having won either of the last two multi-format Ashes series, their last win coming back Down Under in 2013/14. This was reflected in Alyssa Healy, Australia’s combative wicketkeeper/batsmen, channelling Glenn McGrath by predicting that they would win all seven matches across the formats this summer.

And Wyatt, England’s explosive T20 opener, says the series is an important marker to show that England can keep pace on the field after years of investment in women’s cricket by Cricket Australia. England’s winning run across formats now stretches to 14 matches against India, Sri Lanka and West Indies.

“It’s a massive series,” Wyatt told The Cricketer. “The Aussies, you know what they’re like – proper arrogant. I’ve played with and against the Aussies, in the Big Bash, and they always give me banter about when they beat us in the World Cup final [the 2018 World T20 final], and I was like ‘easy now’.

“It’s a massive series for us to put down a statement that we are still here, because they think they are way ahead of us now. If we can go out and play at our best, play as we are now, because we’re all in form and there’s a great vibe around the team now… we want to knock them down a peg or two.

“We play against the Australians all the time, whether in the Big Bash, Kia Super League or with England, so we each know what each others’ strengths and weaknesses are. I think it’s just going to be a matter of who’s mentally ready. We’ll quietly go about our business and do our talking on the pitch.”

^{Wyatt is England's T20 opener}

As for Healy’s comments, Wyatt said: “She can say what she likes. It’s a matter of letting the cricket do the talking. Hopefully we can show them we’re still here, we’re still England, and it’s about time we got our hands back on that urn.”

Wyatt’s role in the Ashes is likely to climb in importance as the series goes on: she is a middle-order accelerator in ODIs, and yet to make her Test debut, but is England’s pivotal attacking strokeplayer in the T20s which finish the series. There will be two points on offer in each of the limited-overs games, and four points for the four-day Test.

“The Test match used to be worth six points, but it’s been knocked down to four now. I suppose it doesn’t really matter which order we play the games in, but it is nice to finish on T20s.

“When we won the Ashes back in Australia [in 2013/14] we won the Test match at the WACA, and we drew it [at Canterbury] here last time [2015]. So if we can win that one we’ll have four points on the board. But every game is going to be tough.”

Team-mate Nat Sciver says that for all England’s recent success, the yardstick is results against the world’s top two other teams, Australia and India.

“I think obviously Cricket Australia and the ECB are competing in where they invest in women’s cricket – they learn some things from us, and we learn things from them.

“The cricket is always going to be competitive between us. We’ve won 14 games on the bounce and the team is in a great place. At the same time it doesn’t really mean anything if you can’t win against the best two teams in the world. They’ve held the Ashes the last two times and we’re desperate to get them back.”

^{Laura Marsh won her 100th ODI cap against West Indies}

Off-spinner Laura Marsh faced a spell out of the side lately, but is back in the fray now and will have the chance to add to her 100 ODI caps. She says the players’ familiarity with each other has led to more specific preparation.

“I think we’re quite aware of the players they’ve got in their squad. They’ve got a fringe of other players in their Australia A team who a lot of the girls would have played with or against in the Big Bash.

“It works for and against you with so many games being on TV now, because they can see us and we can see them. It’s certainly going to make for a really exciting series.”

As for Healy’s comments, Marsh says they might have been tongue in cheek.

“Possibly… she’s probably aware as well as we are that these are two really competitive teams.”

Wyatt is a transformed player since scoring her maiden T20I fifty in a losing cause at North Sydney Oval during the last Ashes in 2017/18. Since then she is averaging 37 in the format at a strike-rate of 140.

“Everyone’s been asking what’s happened to my batting! Since Mark Robinson [head coach] and Ali Maiden [batting coach] have come in, I’ve been working really hard with Ali on simple strengths – we call it ‘head, bat, ball’ – keeping in line.

“That, and just having the belief that I am a good player. I think getting that fifty at Sydney did help, that hundred two games later [at Canberra] in a really important match, and then making 124 in Mumbai in tough conditions, just shows that I can do it against the best two teams in the world.

“For sure, performing in Australia and India is the benchmark. I’ve got a few fifties, and my T20 form has been really pleasing, so hopefully I can keep that going.

“I didn’t get as much of a go with the bat as I’d have liked in the ODIs against West Indies. In T20s I’m back to opening now against the new ball. As long as I keep feeling good and feeling confident… I love playing against Australia as well.”