World Cup next for Watkin
Whanganui allrounder Jess Watkin takes the important wicket of England opener Amy Jones for 78 in the final ODI match of the northern tour won by the Kiwis by four wickets.
Photo / Supplied
The international limelight fits Whanganui cricketer Jessica Watkin like a glove.
The 20-year-old allrounder impressed in her first international tour of duty with the White Ferns and she is now looking to cement her place in the national women's team.
Watkin is hoping for a longer term contract with the White Ferns on the back of those impressive performances during the Northern Hemisphere tour of Ireland and England and the T20 Tri Series with England and South Africa.
The upcoming White Fern itinerary will take in the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and tours by both India and Australia this summer.
Watkin's debut for the White Ferns involved a two-month contract that covered the Northern Tour where they beat Ireland in the only T20 match played between the two nations and then all three ODI match-ups.
The White Ferns then dismissed South Africa twice in the T20 Tri Series won by England.
The White Ferns won the last ODI of three against England, thanks in part to Watkin.
White Ferns coach Haidee Tiffen had not initially planned to use Watkin as much as she actually did on the Northern Tour, but the allrounder's form was simply too hot to ignore.
"We had already qualified for the Tri Series final, so I was named in the second T20 against England and I made a quickfire 16 off 8 balls and then took three key wickets. I played every game after that," Watkin said.
"The experience was unbelievable, it's a huge step up from domestic."
The step up did not faze Watkin, instead she embraced it.
Her team plundered a world record 490-4 in their first one-day international against Ireland. In her debut ODI, after hammering 77 not out in the tour-opening T20 match the day before, Watkin made 62 in a 172-run opening partnership with captain Suzie Bates.
Bates went on to a career-best 151 and in doing so surpassed the great Debbie Hockley as New Zealand's most prolific scorer with 4192 runs.
"We all complain about inequality (between men and women in sport), but we really did get looked after. Getting to play alongside Suzie and Sophie (Devine) and the rest of the team was fantastic and to play against England, well they are the best in the world and everyday was a learning curve," Watkin said.
In the post Northern Tour wrap Tiffen had nothing but praise for Watkin.
"This Northern Tour has been great exposure for our younger players, we've learned a lot about them, the likes of Jess Watkin have shown real promise," Tiffen said.
"I think our spinners have bowled really well throughout the tour, Amelia Kerr, Jess Watkin - in the lead up to a World Cup where the wickets could be a bit slow, the bowlers who will suit that have been really good."
And even on the batting side Tiffen recongnised how valuable Watkin could be.
Her deeds have not gone unrecognised in other parts of te world either.
Watkin now has a large Indian following on her Instigram account.
"The Indians love female cricketers and they have really taken to me for some reason."
Watkin is now at home for a six week training camp with her Whanganui mentor Dilan Raj and is working alongside Canadian import Akash Gill who has returned to the city to make his bid for a national junior spot. He has already been named in the wider Central Districts squad.
Gill is a Tech team mate of Watkin's at club level.
Meanwhile, for her continued hard work and dedication Wanganui Toyota has given Watkin a 2010 Toyota Corolla to get from A to B.
Dealership director Richard Nessling said the car was in recognition of Watkin's dedication to her chosen sport and her promotion of the city on the international stage.
During the Northern Tour Watkin gave her hometown ample exposure during the televised Tri Series with a Whanganui sticker clearly visible on her bat.
"Jess works really hard to get where she is and we recognise that, so we have given her a car to get from A to B and help make it that little bit easier," Nessling said.
By Iain Hyndman
Wanganui Chronicle 2/8/18
Also www.stuff.co.nz article 2/8/18
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/105950279/exciting-allrounder-jess-watkin-earns-white-ferns-contract
