Australia’s batting young gun is still riding high after her WPL success
Georgia Voll has revealed that an unintentional change to her preparation helped turn around her fortunes ahead of a last week’s Women’s Premier League final.
Voll was part of the winning Royal Challengers Bengaluru XI and played a huge part with her 79 crucial in chasing down Delhi Capitals’ score of 4-204.
She combined with India superstar Smriti Mandhana in a match-winning 165-run partnership that helped seal the highest-ever chase in WPL history.
But it had been mixed tournament for the Queenslander, who started her campaign with 54no against Delhi but followed that with scores of 1, 11, 9 and 16.
The 22-year-old admitted her lack of runs was on her mind heading into the decider February 5, especially after one of the leanest Women’s Big Bash League seasons of her career.
However, the normally fastidious trainer found success in staying away from the nets in the lead up to the final.
“I wasn’t happy with the way I went about it in Big Bash,” Voll told reporters in Sydney on Friday.
“So it was a little bit of a tough period through there, working through what I needed to do and what I wanted to do.
“For it to come off in one of the bigger games is obviously super cool.
“I (was) working harder but I think doing sometimes doing a little bit less (can be beneficial) as well.
“I wasn’t feeling that great a couple of days before, so I actually didn’t train the day before, which is a first for me.
“So maybe that will have to be the thing moving forward.”
Voll, who made her international debuts in all three formats last summer, shapes as a long-term replacement at the top of the order for Australia in the wake of captain Alyssa Healy’s retirement.
Healy will finish her international career with three ODIs and the Test against India over the next month, and the legendary keeper-batter has unsurprisingly made an impact on Voll.
“Just the way she goes about her game speaks volumes,” Voll said.
“To watch her go about it the way she does and then (I try to) implement little things here and there.
“The way she attacks a game is something that I obviously want to do as well.”
The multi-format series begins with a T20I at North Sydney Oval on Sunday. Voll scored 50, 36 and 75 in Australia’s most recent series in the format, away to New Zealand last March.
NRMA Insurance Australia v India Multi-Format Series
Australia T20I squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
India T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Uma Chetry, Arundhati Reddy, Amanjot Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Shreyanka Patil
February 15: First T20, SCG, 7:15pm AEDT
February 19: Second T20, Manuka Oval, Canberra, 7:15pm AEDT
February 21: Third T20, Adelaide Oval, 7:15pm AEDT
Australia ODI squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Sophie Molineux (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
India ODI squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Kashvee Gautam, Amanjot Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Uma Chetry, Harleen Deol
February 24: First ODI, Allan Border Field, Brisbane, 2:50pm AEDT
February 27: Second ODI, Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 2:50pm AEDT
March 1: Third ODI, Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 2:50pm AEDT
Australia Test squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Sophie Molineux (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
India Test squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh, Sneh Rana, Amanjot Kaur, Uma Chetry, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare
March 6-9: Test match, WACA Ground, 4:20pm AEDT (D/N)
