It’s been a long journey from Mortlake to the Caribbean for rising leg-spinner Georgia Wareham.
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The 19-year-old was selected in the Australian Cricket Team’s 15-strong squad for the ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies and a warm up series against Pakistan in Malaysia.
Wareham is also a chance to make her one-day debut also against Pakistan.
The Australian women, who have just come off a clean sweep of New Zealand in a best-of-three series, have three one-day and T20 internationals against Pakistan in Malaysia later this month.
The Aussies will then head to the Caribbean in aim of reclaiming the crown they lost to the West Indies in the last World Cup in 2016.
The Mortlake export, who finished with 2-47 from six overs against the White Ferns, said she was eager to improve after making her international debut.
“I was just really nervous. But obviously I had the support from all the players, which was really good, but still the nerves were quite high. Having three games under my belt will certainly help me,” Wareham told The Age.
The Melbourne Renegades star will be looking to be an edge in the Caribbean with the shorter format of the game beginning to suit the spinners bowling style.
Wareham, who plays premier cricket with Essendon Maribyrnong Park, said it was handy to have housemates, Victorian and Renegades teammates Sophie Molineux, 20, and Tayla Vlaeminck, 19, on the same path.
“It’s pretty cool to have all three of us in the squad,” she said. “I guess it has that sense of home when we’re away. We’re all really close and we can lean on each other when we’re away.”
The university student has had to put her exercise science studies on hold.
“I was enrolled in uni, so I’ve pushed that to the side for the moment and kind of just focus on cricket,” Wareham said. “They were very understanding. For me at this point in time it’s probably a bit better to focus on cricket.”
National Selector Shawn Flegler was thrilled with the squad.
"This is an exciting group of players who’ve played some very good cricket in the T20 format in particular, over the last six months, and with injection of some youth we believe this group has the right attributes to have a successful World Cup,” he told Cricket.com.au.
The first ODI against Pakistan will take place at Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur, on October 18. The Aussie’s first World Cup group stage game is also against Pakistan on November 9.
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