Lauren Winfield-Hill has backed Sophia Dunkley's inclusion in England's squads for their series' against West Indies, calling for a reset in her role in the T20I side.
Speaking on the Wisden Women's Cricket Weekly podcast about pressures faced by modern white-ball batters, Winfield-Hill suggested that Dunkley’s attacking reputation may have become a double-edged sword, pigeonholing her into a role that undervalues her skillset. Dunkley has been in and out of England's sides across formats over the last year, having been dropped from her spot at the top of the order in the T20I side in New Zealand, while also appearing sporadically in the ODI lineup.
“I think with someone like Sophia Dunkley, the whole brand, entertaining and aggression adds a level of pressure,” said Winfield-Hill. “She got put up the order in the T20Is and was just a whacker who went to win the power-play. She is a better player than that.”
Dunkley came into England's T20I side in 2018, initially batting in the lower-order as an innings finisher. She was promoted to open in 2022, scoring a half-century in her first innings at the top against South Africa. A role as an opener in the ODI side followed, but she only managed a top score of 13 in the three ODIs during the 2023 Ashes.
'There was this pressure on Dunkley of being a get-on-with-it batter'
Having moved around the T20I order, batting at every position from 1-7, Dunkley lost her place in the side last year. She made an impressive comeback against Australia in the recent Ashes series, scoring 59 off 30 balls in the opening T20I, batting at No.3.
“There was this pressure of being a get-on-with-it batter in the Powerplay, high strike rate, go-and-change-the-game type player,” said Winfield-Hill on Dunkley's struggles as a T20I opener. The way in which she has played 50-over cricket, it is not that tempo at all. It is very much play the situation and build yourself into an innings, and then look to explode at the back end.
“If you play that way with that template [in T20Is], you are going to be more consistent because you are not trying to get 50 off 30 every time.”
Dunkley has been named in both the ODI and T20I squads for England's first series under Charlotte Edwards' tenure as head coach, which begins tonight (May 21) in Canterbury.
“Good players keep putting their name forward, like a Sophia Dunkley,” said Winfield-Hill. “Just play. We are backing you to do the role that you do, in this team. Do it your way.”
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.
