“You can easily build up the expectation on yourself, and sometimes you’ve just got to let it play out and believe you’ve done the work,” Annabel Sutherland said about being patient about the opportunity to arrive.
The Australian women’s team led by skipper Alyssa Healy announced their squad for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the UAE. The 22-year-old young pace-bowling all-rounder Annabel Sutherland has made it to the squad.
However, she is not a sure-shot starter in their first choice playing 11, considering the presence of the likes of Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, etc in an already star-studded line-up.
“It’s part of it as a young player coming through and you can build a fair bit of resilience. I’ve run drinks for a fair share of games and understand it’s a little bit about earning your stripes. It’s important to take an opportunity when it comes, too. You can easily build up the expectations on yourself, and sometimes you’ve just got to let it play out and believe you’ve done the work,” the 22-year-old young Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland said about being patient about the opportunity to arrive and eventually grabbing it with both hands whenever it presents itself.
She was a part of Australia’s squad in the home World Cup, the 7th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020. She made her T20 World Cup debut against India and then went on to play against Bangladesh and New Zealand in that edition of the tournament, with not much to show for except for her maiden T20 World Cup wicket against Bangladesh. She also then went on to play a solitary game against South Africa in the 8th edition of the tournament hosted by South Africa, last year.
One of the positives for her is the fact that she has been a part of Australia’s starting 11 in all the 9 T20I matches they have played so far this year. However, she hasn’t had much of an opportunity to create an impact either with the bat or with the ball. She has bowled her full quota of overs in a game on only four occasions in the T20I format for Australia this year.
She was last seen in action while representing the Northern Superchargers in the 4th edition of the Women’s Hundred. She had an impressive campaign, as she was the leading run-scorer for her side with 212 runs at an impressive strike rate of 137.66 and an impressive average of 35.33 in seven innings, her tally of runs included one unbeaten half-century. Apart from her exploits with the bat, she was also the 2nd highest wicket-taker for her franchise with 10 wickets at an impressive average of 9.90 and an impressive economy of 4.53 in seven innings, her tally of wickets included one four-wicket haul. However, despite her best efforts, her side failed to make it to the knockout stages of the tournament.
Her recent performances will hold her in good stead heading into the upcoming 9th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. The Alyssa Healy-led side will be hosting New Zealand led by skipper Sophie Devine for a three-match T20I series from 19th to 24th September 2024. The series could prove to be a good opportunity for both sides to finalise their best playing combination before they head to UAE for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
The upcoming 9th edition of the tournament was earlier set to take place in Bangladesh, however, it is now moved to UAE courtesy of political and social instability within the country. Australia will play a couple of warm-up matches, against England on 29th September 2024 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium from 7:30 PM IST, followed by the West Indies on 1st October 2024 at the same venue from 7:30 PM IST.
Australia will commence their T20 World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka led by skipper Chamari Athapaththu on 5th October 2024 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the 5th match of the tournament from 3:30 PM IST. Clubbed in group A, they then play India, Pakistan, and New Zealand.
(Quotes sourced from Espncricinfo)