In the episode of “Around the Globe with Female Cricket,” Xara Jetly – a skilled cricketer hailing from Wellington talks about her love for the game of cricket, the players she admires, and takes on franchise cricket.
Besides the White Ferns, Xara will be backing both India and Australia in the Women’s T20 World Cup, as she feels India has the technical know-how and the spinners, while Australia is strong with new talents such as Phoebe Litchfield. She reflects on the element of unpredictability, which gives cricket its attractive sporting contours and shares her excitement regarding the future of the game. Xara also talks about franchise cricket, how she wants to represent Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League, and showing admiration for renowned players like Ellyse Perry, Kane Williamson, Sophie Devine, and Amelia Kerr. Followed by three fun segments consisting of ‘This or That’, ‘The rapid-fire round’, and ‘Describe the players in One Word’.
On her Cricket Preferences and Franchise Cricket
Xara Jetly will be cheering for both India and Australia during the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup. She also said that India is doing so well, as one of the hardest-working teams, really skilled at batting technically, and has some amazing spinners; at the same time, Australia is very dominating, with young brat talents like Phoebe Litchfield making their presence felt within the team. Says Xara, that is what makes cricket so thrilling since nobody knows what actually would happen, and that is what she’s looking ahead to in the tournament.
Xara gave her views on the Indian team saying, “I think they’re a class side, I think they’re a fantastic side and they deserve a little bit more success.”
She went ahead to add, “Cricket’s an unpredictable sport, and it kind of depends on the day who’s going to win, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Xara Jetly considers every big women’s cricket tournament important as it gives both the emerging and experienced players a global exposure. She says the Women’s Premier League will be a big achievement in this regard. Not willing to grade the tournaments, but every franchise tournament starting with the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), or The Hundred means a lot to building women’s cricket.
Xara shows great interest in playing for Mumbai Indians in the WPL and also names RCB among one of her dream teams. She looks up to Ellyse Perry for her great performances and says she would love to play with or against her someday.
Xara, speaking her mind on the franchise cricket, said, “They’re all just fantastic opportunities for women to play as much cricket as possible. I’ve said this before, I think franchise cricket is so important for the growth of the game and it allows people with not so much international experience to kind of play on a global platform.”
Xara, on her views about Ellyse Perry, mentioned, “She backs up her hype with world-class performances and that’s something I have total respect for. Everyone tells me that she’s a fantastic player and then she ends up scoring runs and taking wickets and it’s like, well, there it is, and I think that’s great.”
For Xara Jetly, it is rather apparent that she loves franchise cricket; after all, she also acknowledges what each different tournament brings. She’s a fan of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in men’s cricket and Mumbai Indians in the women’s league. Enthusiastic, Xara speaks about the role franchise cricket plays: a platform provided for the upcoming stars along with the established ones. For Xara, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are both different and awesome in their talents; she would probably choose Rohit Sharma. She admits the difference is hardly anything. Another great player she likes is Kane Williamson because of his great batting and outstanding leadership qualities and for what he has brought into New Zealand cricket.
Xara on her views on Kane Williamson expressed, “Kane Williamson is great. He is an amazing bat to watch. A lovely human and a fantastic leader. I have a lot of respect for Kane and what he’s done for cricket in New Zealand. He’s our captain. I love him. He’s great.“
On Amelia Kerr and Sophie Devine:
Xara speaks very highly of Sophie Devine and Amelia Kerr, the ones that have played a major leadership role in her career. The first captain she had was Sophie, and according to Xara, she is literally one of the most knowledgeable people when it comes to cricket. She has power and exudes enthusiasm which would keep the entire team on fire. Xara appreciates how Sophie shows trust in each player for their respective skills and believes she is the one who really motivates them and demands attention and respect.
Xara shared, “She (Sophie Devine) trusts every single one of us and our skills and I think that’s something she’s really, really good at. She’s a big, big motivator. And then you’ve got Amelia Kerr, who I think is fantastic, and the way she communicates, I guess her plans and her ideas are really good and she’s really transparent with everyone.”
She also pinpoints Amelia Kerr for her positives, saying she loves how forthright and clear she is regarding team matters and how much depth she has about the game. She says Sophie and Amelia are very similar in terms of the kind of leaders they are, which has been something Xara has looked up to quite a bit. The successful and winning atmosphere that this duo leadership has brought into the Wellington Blaze makes Xara consider herself lucky to have been guided through her formative years in the team by these two. Having watched them in action has itself been a great learning for the young player.
Xara further added, “Sophie and Melie have very similar qualities and they’re both huge motivations of mine.”
Xara Jetly idolizes Amelia Kerr as an athlete and a person. She treats Amelia’s decision to be outspoken about her issues with mental health as an inspiration, introducing the topic of how fragile athletes can be when it comes to mental health. Xara continues with sharing personal reflections and confesses having her own personal battles, yet finds Amelia’s openness and resilience empowering.
Xara said, “Amelie’s fantastic. She is a nice human being. I love what she’s about. Her mental health journey rings and it’s really, really important that people take close attention to that because I don’t think people understand the work that is required to be an athlete like her.”
She recalls how, some time back, when they were kids and used to play cricket, she had considered Amelia to be an easy opponent since she got out for zero in the Under-15s match. Later, witnessed her dominate and win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the same tournament. What impresses Xara most is Amelia’s humbleness and kindness despite her talent. She is proud of Amelia’s success, driven by hard work and a positive attitude, and hopes to one day join her at those heights.
Xara humorously added, “Really proud of her and all her efforts. She deserves it, and hopefully, I’ll be able to join her soon.”
This or That:
In the first fun segment, “This or That”, Xara’s journey to find the ultimate spin bowler led her to favor Hayley Matthews initially, but eventually, Jess Jonassen emerged as a strong contender. However, Jess was later surpassed by Ashley Gardner. The final showdown saw Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean as the last contenders. Ultimately, Xara chose Charlie Dean as the best spinner, recognizing her exceptional skills and consistency in a competitive field of talented bowlers.
1. Nida Dar or Hayley Matthews.
Xara: “Hayley Matthews.”
2. Hayley Matthews Or Alana King?
Xara: “Hayley Matthews”
3. Hayley Matthews or Fran Jonas?
Xara: “Hayley Matthews.”
4. Hayley Matthews or Deepti Sharma?
Xara: “Hayley Matthews. Wow.”
5. Hayley Matthews or Jess Jonassen?
Xara: “Jess.”
6. Jess or Sarah Glenn?
Xara: “Jess.”
7. Jess or Ash Gardner?
Xara: “Ash Gardner.”
8. Ash Gardner or Leigh Kasperek?
Xara: “Oh, gosh, Ash Gardner, Oh, she’s (Leigh Kasperek) gonna, Oh, I hope she does not see that. Anyway, Yeah.”
9. So Ash Gardner or Sophie Ecclestone ?
Xara: “Ecclestone”
10. So Sophie Ecclestone or Charlie Dean?
Xara: “Charlie Dean, I knew straight away you’re gonna ask me Charlie Dean.”
Xara concluded, “They’re all a class act. So it’s hard to compare all of these amazing players.”
The rapid-fire round:
In the rapid-fire round, Xara Jetly revealed her top choices in various cricket-related and personal categories. Her favourite all-rounder is Sophie Devine, while Hayley Matthews tops her list of favourite batters. Amy Jones is her preferred wicketkeeper, and Charlie Dean is her favourite bowler. In the world of franchise cricket, Xara supports Mumbai Indians in the WPL, Southern Brave in The Hundred, and the Melbourne Renegades in the WBBL. When it comes to cricketing milestones, she favors a fifer over a hat-trick. Her go-to food is idli, and her favorite place is Switzerland, where she enjoyed a memorable visit to Zurich.
1. Who is your favourite all-rounder?
Xara: “Um. Oh, gosh. Now I’m failing Sophie Devine. Okay. Oh, my gosh.”
2. Who’s your favourite batter?
Xara: “Oh, my gosh. Hayley Matthews.”
3. Who’s your favourite wicketkeeper
Xara: “Amy Jones”
4. Who’s your favourite bowler?
Xara: “Bowler, Charlie Dean.”
5. Which is your favourite WPL team?
Xara: “Mumbai Indians”
6. So which is your favourite ‘The Hundred’ team?
Xara: “The Hundred team, Southern Brave.”
7. Which is your favourite WBBL team?
Xara: “Renegades”
8. So Hatrick or fifer?
Xara: “Fifer”
9. What’s your favourite food?
Xara: “Idli”
10. What’s your favourite place?
Xara: “Switzerland, I went to Zurich and it was a beautiful place and I fell in love with it. It’s expensive, but it’s beautiful. “
Describe the players in one word:
In the “Describe the players in One Word” round, Xara Jetly provided succinct, one-word descriptions for various cricket stars. Charlie Dean was termed ‘Class,’ Suzie Bates ‘Humble,’ and Sophie Devine ‘Motivator.’ Amelia Kerr earned the word ‘Kind,’ while Harmanpreet Kaur was described as ‘Fierce.’ Chamari Athapaththu was seen as ‘Powerful,’ and Laura Wolvaardt was ‘Technically sound.’ Marizanne Kapp’s standout trait was ‘Quick,’ Amy Satterthwaite was recognized as a ‘Leader,’ and Smriti Mandhana as ‘Beautiful.’ Ellyse Perry was highlighted as ‘First class,’ Virat Kohli’s defining quality was his ‘Cover drive,’ Rohit Sharma was associated with ‘Power,’ and Kane Williamson was simply ‘Humble.’ Lastly, Nathan Lyon was called a ‘Rag ragger’ for his exceptional spin in Test cricket.
1. Charlie Dean
Xara: “Class”
2. Suzie Bates
Xara: “Humble”
3. Sophie Devine
Xara: “Motivator”
4. Amelia Kerr
Xara: “Kind”
5. Harmanpreet Kaur
Xara: “Fierce”
6. Chamari Athapaththu
Xara: “Powerful”
7. Laura Wolvaardt
Xara: “Technically sounds two words, but I’m saying technically sound”
8. Marizanne Kapp
Xara: “Quick”
9. Amy Satterthwaite
Xara: “Leader”
10. Smriti Mandhana
Xara: “Beautiful”
11. Ellyse Perry
Xara: “First Class”
12. Virat Kohli
Xara: “Virat Kohli, oh wow, let’s think of this one. Oh my gosh, um, Cover Drive.”
13. Rohit Sharma
Xara: “Power”
14. Kane Williamson
Xara: “Humble.”
15. Nathan Lyon
Xara: “Nathan Lyon, Rag, Ragger, that’s what I’m gonna say because he spins it a ton, that guy, Test cricket, I love Nathan Lyon. Fantastic. Great.”