The Women’s Premier League (WPL) is gearing up for its second edition, and one of the notable additions to the league this season is English cricketer Danni Wyatt, making her debut in the tournament. Danni Wyatt, thrilled to be in a warmer climate as compared to the chilly English weather, expressed her excitement about joining the UP Warriorz.
“Yes, today’s been the hottest day since I’ve been here. But obviously, I’m not complaining because it’s very cold back home in England right now. So yeah, I’m excited to be here with the UP Warriorz.”
Training sessions under the scorching sun have been challenging, making the evening matches a welcome relief for Wyatt and her teammates. Transitioning from indoor training in England to outdoor practice in India has been a refreshing change, Wyatt added.
Reflecting on her auction experience, Danni shared her immediate reaction to being picked by the UP Warriorz and the congratulatory messages that she received from her teammates and friends. Despite being one of the few changes in the team owing to her warm presence and friendly nature, Wyatt has seamlessly settled in, and also the welcoming atmosphere within the squad.
“I opened the door and my name came up on the TV. And I was like, oh! And then obviously saw UP went up. And then I had a few messages from the girls, which was nice. And also girls from outside of the team were happy for me to be picked. So, yeah, really delighted that I’m here.”
As the Australian squad prepares to join the league, anticipation grows among the players for the upcoming matches. Wyatt remains open-minded about her role in the team and is willing to contribute wherever needed.
Known for her prowess on Indian pitches, Wyatt attributes her success to her love for touring in India and her batting style, which aligns well with the playing conditions. With matches scheduled in Bangalore and Delhi, Wyatt trusts her adaptability to perform well on the historically batting-friendly pitches.
“The pitches are normally quite flat out here or if they’re not flat they’re quite slow and I think I’ve got better on slower pitches, not sure why I think it makes me concentrate more, I don’t know what it is but yeah hoping for some nice flat pitches more of the same in the WPL.”
Reminiscing her experience from the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2016, Danni Wyatt commented on how good the pitches were. Hoping for flat batting-friendly pitches, Wyatt realistically stated that the pitches will indeed deteriorate and get slower as the tournament progresses.
“You know we’re playing at some of these amazing stadiums from around the world so they’re bound to be good pitches to start with but there’s a lot of games at the same venue so maybe towards the back end they might tire a bit but we’ll just have to adapt accordingly.”
Overall, Wyatt’s enthusiasm and flexibility in the best interest of the team is an ideal reflection of the spirit of the WPL as it enters its next chapter with exciting new faces and high-octane cricketing action.
(Information sourced from JioCinema / Sports18)