Raf Nicholson chats with England all-rounder Sophia Dunkley, who discusses her surprise World T20 call-up, her life thereafter and juggling university with cricket.
This article was first published in the World Cup special August issue of Wisden Cricket Monthly, as part of the 25 best young women cricketers in the world feature. To read the full issue, pick up a copy here.
In October last year, Sophia Dunkley got a phone call that would change her life. On the other end of the line was England coach Mark Robinson, telling her that she had been selected for the World T20. A few weeks later she was on a plane to the Caribbean, leaving her regular life at Loughborough University – where she is currently studying Sports Science – far behind.
“When I got the phone call my reaction was just utter disbelief,” Dunkley recalls. “Looking back to this time last year, I would never imagine any of these things could happen. It’s all been a bit of a whirlwind. It’s only recently that I’ve sat down and thought about it all.”
It remains to be seen when Dunkley will get her next taste of international cricket after being unlucky to miss out on England’s squads so far this summer. The T20 leg of the Ashes could provide her chance.
If she keeps batting the way she has been this season, scoring a competition-high 451 runs in the Women’s One-Day Cup for Middlesex, she will be hard to ignore for long.
“I still feel I need to improve a lot but I want to keep my bowling going,” she says. “In T20 for England it’s always handy if we’ve got a few extra overs here and there. If I can improve over the next few years, maybe in the future it could be a strength of mine.”
