I've seen the same airports about 4 times each I think. I thought I’d write this blog to fill you all in on what has happened since the Ashes series and what is to come in the next couple of months.
My team, the Queensland Fire, decided we wouldn't go watch the ACT v NSW game despite our game being in the afternoon. We thought it'd be much more beneficial to focus on our game before we got ahead of ourselves and started thinking about who we would face in the final if we did win. Although this did not stop us from watching the online scores of the match.
I've always loved an underdog... And ACT sure were underdogs coming up against a team full of Australian representatives, both past and present. But that didn't stop them from handing NSW their first loss of the season. It was at that moment that all of the Queensland girls knew that anything was possible. That belief transferred onto the field with our most dominant display of the season, beating the second placed Victorians.
We were set to play the final against ACT a couple days later, however the venue was yet to be determined. We all had to stay up until 11pm to see who won the BBL semi between the Perth Scorchers and the Sydney Sixers; whoever won got to host the final. Perth ended up winning the rain affected match, meaning we had to leave our hotel at 7am to get to the airport on time.
The women's final was exactly as the men's... Both 3rd and 4th place beat the odds to be playing off for the title of National T20 champions. The feeling amongst the Queensland group was one of confidence. We could do this and we could make history. I guess I should mention the fact that Queensland has been in national women's cricket competition since the 1980s, yet we've never won a final. We all knew that it was our year, and we had a few more reasons to play as well. Our captain Jodie Fields was still out with a broken finger from the Ashes Series. We all knew how much she wanted to just run out there with us, and just the thought of that made us even more determined. Adding to that, after 16 seasons in the maroon colours, Melissa Bulow made the decision that she'd retire after the final. We all wanted to send her out as a champion and make sure her last game would be one that she'll remember for the rest of her life.
One of the girls didn't sleep all too well the night before, buzzing with nerves and excitement of playing on the WACA in the final. Her name is Courtney Hill, a school teacher originally from Monto. She decided she'd write a couple of poems, one dedicated to Mel for her last game and one about the team. She read Mel’s to us in the team meeting before we headed to the WACA. I am not exaggerating when I say the whole team was in tears, both out of laughter and sadness for what was about to be. Mel then spoke and said, "the script for today's game has already been written. We just have to turn the page and what will be, will be."
The team poem was read out before taking the field. It was one of the most motivational pieces of writing I have ever heard. I think everyone else felt the same because our game could not have gone any better. We executed our bowling and batting plans perfectly. Little did Mel know that morning, that script would include her being out in the middle batting when the final runs were hit. It was an absolute fairytale finish to a stellar career. We had just made history, being the first Queensland women's team to ever win a national title. We had finally broken the drought.
I've been in this team for the past 2 seasons, and winning obviously meant so much to me. However it wasn't until I saw half my team with tears of joy after we won, that I fully understood what it meant. We didn't play for us at all that day. We played for all the players who had gone before us, who had put in the same time and effort to be the best players that they could be. All throughout preseason, when we get up before dawn to train, we all ask ourselves why we do it. The answer was simply the feeling of winning! That feeling when your captain raises the trophy. That feeling when you yell the team song in the middle of the WACA for everyone to hear. This is why we train. This is why we play.
I had a little laugh to myself at the fact the amount of planes I have been on recently and the cities I have been to. My itinerary for the past month has been as follows: Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane Sydney, Perth and back to Brisbane. I 've enjoyed every minute of the last month but I must say I am tired from all the travel.
After returning from Perth, I was straight back into training. I have just recently been selected in the Southern Stars team to tour Bangladesh in March for the Twenty20 World Cup. I'm really looking forward to this tournament and hopefully we can take the momentum we gained winning the last two T20s against England in the Ashes series. We will be defending our World T20 championship title once again, whilst trying to make it 3 in a row. The pressure will be on facing round games against New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland and Pakistan, but we all know that we have the playing group to do the job.
I was also recently announced as a Milo ambassador alongside James Faulkner and Michael Clarke. This involved a day trip to Sydney for a photoshoot as well as some interviews with the media about the announcement. I am both excited and honoured to be the first female cricket ambassador and I'm hoping in my role that I can inspire young girls to take up Australia's favourite sport.
Amongst all this I've been accepted into the University of Queensland to study the Bachelor course of Health, Sport and Physical Education. I had to get up before dawn in Perth on grand final day to sign on to some of my classes. I’m really looking forward to this next stage in my education and I know it will be a serious challenge balancing it with cricket. This semester I will study full time, despite missing potentially 4 weeks with the World Cup. If everything goes to plan, within the next 4-5 years I’m hoping to be a fully qualified high school PE teacher.
With the World Cup coming up, I’ll be writing a couple more blogs about the lead up and also while I’m on tour so stay tuned!
