Ahead of Sunday’s first T20I against World Cup runners-up South Africa in East London, Wyatt-Hodge insisted England were “not a bad side in eight overs” after an error-strewn performance on the pitch. West Indies allowed Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph to reach their fifties in quick succession on their way to the semi-finals at England’s expense.
England’s poor performance prompted unprecedented reaction in the media, most notably former World Cup winner Alex Hartley, who questioned the players’ fitness levels – something England manager John Lewis flatly rejected last week. But Wyatt-Hodge acknowledged increased scrutiny was an inevitable consequence of the growth of the women’s game.
“Isn’t that part of the game now?” she said “We can put ourselves out there and tell people what they want, but the important thing is that we are all in our circle and we all work really hard every day in training and games. We want to continue to improve individually and as a team and the people We have the right to say what we want in this group, and that’s important.
“We have played excellent cricket over the last few years and we have also played excellent cricket during the World Cup,” she added. “And now we are here in South Africa. We are really excited to get going. We want to enjoy and focus on playing the brave brand of cricket we have played over the past few years.”
South Africa lost to New Zealand for the second successive time in a T20 World Cup final after beating West Indies in the semi-finals. Wyatt-Hodge admitted it would be another difficult challenge for the team despite the decision to rest two senior players, Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka, for the early stages of the multi-format series.
“We will sit back and see what they do, but they have some outstanding players in their team like Chloe Tryon, Sune Luus and Laura Wolvaardt. They are a very difficult team to play against, but to come here and play against them in their situation. It’s always really fun.”
“Filer’s bowling has really improved compared to last year,” Wyatt-Hodge said. “She is very scary to play against at the net, especially out here the ball is very fast and bouncy, so she will be a handful to play against here. She has worked really hard and if I get the chance I will definitely be there. “I think he wants to go.”
Due to the timing and multi-format nature of the series, England are certain to be interested in the Ashes tour of Australia in January. But Wyatt-Hodge recognized the importance of the tour itself, especially given the need to bounce back from recent disappointments.
“This is a huge series for us and leading up to the Ashes, we want to get out there and show off our skills and show everyone how good we are.
“We had several meetings, and there were always ways to make it better,” she added. “Personally, I’m still a work in progress, like many other girls, so I want to keep trying to get better.
Even though I’m 33, I still feel like a child, and I feel like I’m about 23. I just want to enjoy it, but I’m focused when I do it. I just want to keep working hard and I want young people to see people like me, like Heather (Knight), Amy (Jones) and Nat (Sciver-Brunt), wanting to keep improving and working hard. “We want to inspire them too and do what we’re doing.”
The tour will conclude with a one-off test match in Bloemfontein from December 15. Wyatt-Hodge insisted “I just play what’s in front of me,” but admitted she was open to adding a third Test cap to her record. gear.
“We don’t play that much, so every time I get selected in the Test team it feels really special,” she said. “Making my Test debut in the Ashes Test a few years ago was one of the best days of my cricket career. Test matches are different. We all really enjoy the challenge. It’s really different. So to have a Test match here against South Africa It will be a great preparation for the ashes.”
Andrew Miller is ESPNcricinfo’s UK editor. @Miller_Cricket
