Retired Aussie great Alex Blackwell is back on the cricket field. It’s always nice to find a veteran talent back on the 22 yards, perhaps a home away from home for a cricketer. But no she’s not wielding a bat. In fact, she’s put her thinking caps on and is seen busy with a group of English youngsters. Alex Blackwell is a name that is revered and adored in the women’s game. An ardent Australian talent that gave fans somber news having announced her retirement from the game earlier on in February is now busy spreading smiles.
Alex Blackwell is back
The reason? The former Australian right-hander has been appointed as the coach for a famous side in the Women’s Cricket Super League- Lancashire Thunder. In this age of wham-bam cricketing action, thanks to the meteoric rise of the T20s, it’s fitting to find a rise in the women’s contest where the game’s shortest format is concerned. And it always pays to have the expert services of a veteran who can guide young, curious minds in the surge for breakthroughs, particularly in the topsy-turvy lanes of cricket’s most emphatic and entertaining contest.
Alex Blackwell in a new T20 role
T20 cricket, by design and outlook, may not be about a spectacle that can be taught and in here, lies the real enigma. Forget the big sixes and the big heaves over mid-on or widish long off, something we’ve seen from Alex Blackwell in a 15-year-career. On most occasions, T20 cricket aspires to celebrate the ones who can keep their anxieties in check. Blood pressures rising, there being a lot at stake, the winner is often the one who can keep his/her nerves calm.
And perhaps that is where Alex Blackwell’s role becomes so important. After all, we are talking about a player who’s been part of some glorious Aussie triumphs, having debuted back in 2003.
Having previously appeared for as many as 251 international outings for Australia, there’s a lot that the right-hander dasher can offer to young, curious minds. Hoping to make a breakthrough in arguably cricket’s most tantalizing contests, the presence of an experienced campaigner fuels young minds with excitement. And yet, it provides a cushion of guidance to those who are hungry for direction.
What is important to note is that Blackwell was one of the vanguard’s of Australia’s T20 line-up, particularly in the last half a decade. Having turned up previously in 2016 for noted English T20 side- Yorkshire Diamonds- only solidifies the credentials that this experienced batswoman brings for Lancashire Thunder.
A great name in a rising T20 fest
It’s fitting to note that quite like their male counterparts, the women’s game is enjoying a sort of an outburst of T20 editions. With their being the Women’s Big Bash League, the Women’s T20 Superleague is another one of a kind contest that aligns experience with the flair of youth. Regardless, it also now pits usefulness through noted exponents in the game such as Alex Blackwell. It’s great to see a celebrated have-been still continuing association in the game.