Overlooked by the Australian selectors for some time, Amanda-Jade Wellington has suggested that she could instead represent England if her time in the international wilderness continues.
Apart from two appearances at the 2022 World Cup in the absence of regular starter Georgia Wareham, Amanda-Jade Wellington has not played for Australia in any capacity since 2018. It is unclear whether she will further add to her record of 23 international appearances.
It’s not that her performance wasn’t good. Only Sophie Day and Jess Jonassen have taken more than 23 wickets in this year’s WBBL (11.65 average, 5.46 economy). The score of 3-16 was enough to earn her Player of the Game in the final.
In the previous Women’s CPL, there were eight wickets of 12 each. In her WBBL last year she had 23 more. Her list is quite long and she almost certainly would have played more international cricket if she had been with any other team.
But Australia can already boast of having a quality leg-spinner in Wareham who can bat differently than Wellington. When Australia needed a replacement for Wareham for the 2021-22 Ashes match at home, they brought on Alana King. According to international player Sean Flegler, he “probably flies a little faster through the air” and is a more stump-attacking player than a traditional Wellington. .
Some clarification from national selector Shawn Flegler on the choice to pick Alana King over Amanda-Jade Wellington for the Australian Ashes squad 👇
Basically, they assume that King throws similar leg spin to Georgia Wareham, so she could fit into that role more easily. #Ashes Image. twitter.com/uzmAyYlCRF
– Brittany Carter (@_BrittanyCarter) 12. January 2022
Mr. Wellington has no interest in changing his bowling style. “I’m the type of bowler who throws the ball up and tries to spin it as much as possible. I’m not going to change just to get picked. I’m going to continue to be who I am, both as a player and as a person.” strong>she toldABC Sports
However, there is another option, which is to play international cricket even if you don’t represent Australia. “I haven’t told anyone yet, but I can apply for a British passport. I have ancestors from the UK on my father’s side, so if I really want one, I’ll apply.
“It’s not completely unrealistic. I’ve thought about it, it’s in the back of my mind, but it’s very difficult to make that decision because there are some risks. For example: It would make me an international player in the Big Bash. Technically, the door is still open. I just haven’t looked into it that intensively yet.”
Before a player can move from one Full Member State to another, he must have played international matches for three years. If Wellington were to obtain a British passport, the earliest he could theoretically be eligible to play for England would be March 2025, six months before this year’s World Cup in India.
Australia recently called up former Ireland international Kim Garth, while England called up Mahika Gaur, who previously made his debut for the UAE.
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