Bears Around the World – Issy Wong at the WBBL

Issy Wong has 'loved every second' of her time with Sydney Thunder in the Women's Big Bash in Australia.

Warwickshire pace-bowler Wong has been a big hit with both bat and ball down under. And the 19-year-old believes that learning from her ‘stellar’ colleagues in the Thunder camp, as well as the exposure to new conditions and a new culture, means she will return to England perfectly equipped to take the next step in her burgeoning career.

“I have loved every second of it with the Thunder” she said. “Everyone around me here has been stellar, really inspiring, and they have made me so welcome. They are a great group with some really good young players alongside some more experienced players who are brilliant to learn from. You can’t help but improve in this environment.

“I can feel myself improving week by week and am just so grateful to everyone at the Thunder. The whole trip has been fantastic for my development as both a cricketer and a person.”

The campaign has been a disappointing one for Thunder as a team, but Wong’s performances have been standout, peaking with a spectacular display against Adelaide Strikers when she followed a remarkable spell of three overs for eight runs (two maidens) with an explosive 43 from 17 balls with six sixes.

“That was a weird game because when I came off the pitch I was so disappointed that we had lost,” she said. “But then I sat back and thought ‘I did okay today. It’s important to enjoy those times because there are plenty of times when it doesn’t go right.

“It would have been nice to be part of a few more wins but I have got a couple of decent performances under my belt and will only take confidence from that. In cricket, you are not going to succeed all the time so it’s important to have that confidence and knowledge that you can do it, to fall back on.”

Issy Wong

“It has just been brilliant to meet so many different people and learn so much in terms of cricket but also experience different cultures and places…like getting up at 3.30pm to go and see kangaroos on the beach!”