Danni Wyatt-Hodge is one of England’s greatest-ever T20I players. But, after two heavy losses, and having already been dropped from their ODI side, she could be facing losing her England status completely.
England’s loss against India at Bristol was significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, India breached their fortress ground, becoming the first touring side to win there in any format since 2015, and the first ever to win in a T20I. Secondly, while their dire performance in the opening game could have been quickly forgotten with a rousing performance in the second, two disappointing outings on the trot and the prospect of losing the series at the earliest opportunity necessitate change.
One of the biggest reasons England have looked the far inferior side to India is their failure to build partnerships. In Nottingham, Smriti Mandhana put on a masterclass, albeit aided by England’s fielding disasters, to make the highest score ever for India in a women’s T20I. However, almost as important was the 43 off 23 balls scored by Harleen Deol, all of which came in partnership with Mandhana and boosted India well above 200. Similar can be said in the second game of the importance of Amanjot Kaur, who stuck with Jemimah Rodrigues as the pair rebuilt and then attacked in the back 10 overs.
In contrast, Nat Sciver-Brunt provided the only point of resistance in Nottingham by scoring 66 off 42 balls. The next highest score in England’s innings was 12 from Em Arlott. Tammy Beaumont scored her first T20I half-century in four years in Bristol, with Amy Jones taking a back seat in the partnership with 32 off 27.
What England have been lacking is a big stand, or any kind of partnership, from their openers. Last night, Sophia Dunkley was mostly at fault for her own calamitous run out in the opening over of the chase, and while Wyatt-Hodge managed to break her streak of three consecutive T20I ducks, she bunted a ball to mid-off the very next ball after the run out having managed just a single run. Now having made 18 runs in her five innings across the summer so far, she’s facing serious questions over her place in the side for the first time in years.
England’s opening partnership has been a question mark largely since Beaumont was dropped ahead of the 2022 summer. Since then, they’ve relied on Wyatt-Hodge as a constant at the top while Dunkley struggled to maintain her spot and Maia Bouchier enjoyed some brief success. To state explicitly, Wyatt-Hodge is one of England’s all-time great T20I batters and a world-leading opener in the format. Since the beginning of 2022, no opener in T20Is with a minimum of 1,000 runs has scored quicker than she has. She’s England’s leading T20I run-scorer and one of only six players from full-member nations with more than one T20I century.
It’s also worth remembering how recently she’s put in match-winning performances for England, and how dramatic her form drop-off has been. In South Africa late last year, she scored back-to-back half-centuries, two of five she scored in 16 innings in 2024, both of which came at strike-rates above 170. She was one of only two England batters to pass fifty during the T20I leg of the Ashes, and she’s currently the leading run-scorer in the T20 Blast.
However, she could still become the first true casualty of England’s new era. Wyatt-Hodge was backed to the hilt by Jon Lewis. He brought her into the Test fold 13 years after making her international debut, and used her as a specialist middle-order power-hitter in the ODI setup. He also snapped her up in the 2024 WPL auction for UP Warriorz. It’s not hard to see how the kind of environment Lewis created suited Wyatt-Hodge’s style and personality. Under his tenure, players were encouraged to play positively, to inspire and entertain without the pressure of failure, and Wyatt-Hodge’s role was to look to be aggressive in the powerplay regardless of whether it came off or not. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo last year, she said: “Jon Lewis wants us to play fearlessly. It kind of suits my style; that’s when I’m playing my best. Seeing ball and hitting ball. It’s pretty cool.”
The approach Edwards takes is different. She was brought in to lick a group of under-performing players into shape, and her distaste for the ‘inspire and entertain’ rhetoric has been clear from day one. “I think it’s probably just changing their focus,” Edwards said in her first press conference as head coach. “It’s bottling that entertaining and that aggressive approach, but for me it’s about their game smarts, and their game awareness about winning. I’m under no illusions. I’ve come into this role, it’s about winning.”
One thing Edwards promised to do was create an environment with competition for places. The call she made at the start of her tenure for players to go back to domestic cricket and score runs and take wickets was answered, and those who did were duly rewarded. There’s a sense now more than ever that senior players who aren’t performing will be under pressure for their places, and out of all of England’s batters, Wyatt-Hodge is the one most at risk. Beaumont’s half-century out of position at No.4 in Bristol gave a reminder of her T20I credentials, with the option there to move her up to open and finally give Paige Scholfield a go. There’s also the fielding factor to consider. Edwards has faced near-constant questions about how to improve England’s fielding and performance under pressure, and the clanger Wyatt-Hodge put down in Nottingham won’t help her case.
Most of all, Wyatt-Hodge has lost form at the worst possible time for the position the team is in, and on a personal level. At 34, dropped players are typically consigned to the scrapheap and franchise treadmill. However, Beaumont provides a prime example of an older player spending time out of the side, adding an extra layer to their game, and forcing their way back in through weight of runs. With Edwards prioritising domestic run-scoring, which Wyatt-Hodge has in bucketloads, there’s a clear route back for her if she can take it.
But, with two losses now on the board after two poor performances, Edwards has to be seen to back up what she’s been saying since taking on the role. Billed as a coach not afraid of tough decisions and conversations, Wyatt-Hodge could be on course for a tap on the shoulder ahead of the match at The Oval on Friday.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
