It’s been over a month since England’s surprising early exit from the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup, and their leading run-scorer at the tournament, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, dismissed talks of the team needing to prove a point during their upcoming tour of South Africa (November – December 2024). She also acknowledged the opportunity to play a Test ahead of the landmark Women’s Ashes series (January – February 2025).
For the first time since 2010, England failed to make it to the knockouts of a T20 World Cup despite winning three out of four games. They were tied on points with table-toppers West Indies and South Africa in Group B but fell short on Net Run Rate, leading to their elimination. The outcome was shocking, especially considering England’s impressive record leading into the World Cup, having registered 13 wins from 15 T20Is this year.
When asked if England had a point to prove in their upcoming series against South Africa, Danni Wyatt-Hodge stated, “No, I don’t think so.” She added, “We’ve had a really successful last couple of years and we don’t become a bad side in that eight or so overs we had against West Indies. We’ve got to look at the positives.”
Multiple dropped catches and loose deliveries defined England’s first eight bowling overs against West Indies in the must-win match, where they lost their way and failed to recover. However, Danni remains confident that if England face a similar scenario again, they have learned their lessons. She said, “I think the girls will learn a lot from that moment, so we’ve just got to see the positives from it. If we’re in that position again, we’ll know what to do. We’ve just got to move on and make the most of this series.”
A large part of England’s success has been their inspiring and attacking brand of cricket, which they adopted following their semi-final exit from the 2023 T20 World Cup. Danni is resolute in the team’s focus on continuing this approach. She shared, “We want to inspire and entertain, as always, and focus on playing that fearless brand of cricket that we’ve played over the last couple of years.”
England now shifts focus to their tour of South Africa, and the consistency in squad selection is a positive indication. The tour kicks off with three T20Is, followed by three ODIs and a one-off Test—the first women’s Test in South Africa since 2002. Danni expressed England’s awareness of the unfamiliar names of Eliz-Mari Marx and Nondumiso Shangase, alongside “outstanding players” such as Chloe Tryon, Sune Luus, and Laura Wolvaardt, describing the hosts as a “challenging team.”
Danni views the South Africa series as a key opportunity for England to build their winning momentum ahead of the landmark Women’s Ashes series in Australia. In particular, the South Africa Test serves as an ideal lead-up for England ahead of the Women’s Ashes Test, marking the 90-year history of women’s Test cricket.
Excited about the opportunity, she shared, “We don’t really play that much of it, so every time I’m picked in a Test squad, it’s a really special feeling… It hits different, a Test match does. We all really enjoy the challenge. It’s just so different, so having a Test match here against South Africa is going to be great prep going into the Ashes.”
(Quotes sourced from Sky Sports and ESPN Cricinfo)
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