Warwickshire fast bowler, Issy Wong has been invited to join up with 23 other cricketers as part of the England Women training group and cannot contain her excitement over the opportunity.
Warwickshire’s Academy graduate has made her way through the pathway and age-group system at the club since she joined at nine-years-old, and has now worked her way up to get her first taste of the international cricket set-up.
After three months training focusing on her fitness, she got the all-important call up and was delighted to be selected.
‘’It’s really exciting, I didn’t expect it at all so to be given the opportunity to go back to training and get some overs under my belt is really exciting and I can’t wait to showcase it all over the summer as well.
“I was at Lord’s for the World Cup final in 2017 and nine of those winners are in this training group, so to go from watching them as a fan in the stands to now training with them is absolutely crazy. It’s the start of a really exciting journey for me I hope.”
Issy Wong
Wong found her love for cricket under the guidance of club partners, Complete Cricket. After they recommended that she join her local club, Knowle and Dorridge, she was soon put forward for Warwickshire. She has no doubt that being with Warwickshire has been a crucial part to her development as a player and a person, as well as attending Shrewsbury School as a boarder.
‘’Warwickshire has been a massive part of my development, throughout the ages they let me express myself with my bowling and always let me just be me, also allowing me in age group cricket to play as an all-rounder, which helped all of my cricket skills’ and overall just enjoy the game as much as possible.
“Being able to take what I had learned from age group cricket into senior cricket was really rewarding and to come away with two trophies last year (Senior T20 Cup & U17 National winners) was incredible. Although, without a shadow of a doubt I wouldn’t be anywhere without people at Shrewsbury School, from cricket staff to teachers, they were all so helpful every step of the way, and obviously being the first girl to play in the first team was an amazing experience and it is one of my favourite things to say’’.
Wong’s addition to the England training group squad follows her Kia Super League debut in 2019, where she was a part of the Southern Vipers team and became the youngest player in the tournament. This experience gave her a great step-up into the professional game, as well taking to the field alongside a team which included her Bears team-mates, Marie Kelly and Thea Brookes.
‘’It was really amazing to be part of KSL, the whole experience down in Southampton really showed me as a player that I am doing the right things, and there was so much to learn from really senior girls and overseas such as Danni Wyatt, Tammy Beaumont and Stefanie Taylor.
“Besides making the final, the best part was joining up with a professional squad. It was my first taste of full professional cricket and I enjoyed every second, especially the environment around the team and the fun that we had down there was a highlight.”
Her call-up to the training group came shortly before she was also announced to be part of the retained group for the West Midlands regional team, as well as being part of the Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred.
Her X-Factor bowling makes her stand out from the crowd, but her development as a player with the Bears has been extraordinary. At such a young age she is one of the most exciting players to come through for England recently. Without question Warwickshire have had a special talent on our hands for a while and who knows where it may lead.
