Danni Wyatt-Hodge: The question of self-worth, evolution and a WC dream
These are not just big runs, but quick runs. Danni Wyatt-Hodge is providing England with the kind of starts every captain in the tournament could be envious of. She is the leading run-scorer in the ongoing World Cup, trying to announce herself as one of the best openers in T20 cricket.
Three years earlier, during the Women's T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa, she was on her phone in the team bus en route to the game against Ireland when she found out that she had no takers in the inaugural player auction of the Women's Premier League. "I was very hurt; it was a very heartbreaking moment, pretty embarrassing as well actually," Wyatt-Hodge told Cricbuzz.
To be fair, it wasn't her best year in T20s leading up to the auctions. But the feelings were understandable. Over the years, she had carted Indian bowlers plenty of times; in India especially, she had displayed those hard-hitting skills even against Australia. In 15 T20I innings in India, she had scored at an average of almost 30, and a strike rate of over 140. She carried a strong reputation of being a match-winner.
As several predictions were drawn on which overseas players would enjoy a big pay-day in that auction, her name kept popping up. In the tournament, however, there was no place for her. It made her wonder if she was really not as good as she had come to believe.
"I was embarrassed. There was all the hype and talk, especially on social media. People were saying 'which team, which team?' and then to not get one bid, was a pretty weird feeling.
"Just wasn't in the right headspace at all. I was trying to park that thought because I had to go and perform for England. I just managed to get through the game."
Wyatt-Hodge scored 16 that evening; getting run out while attempting a non-existent single. Seven of the players in that England World Cup squad had found a team in the WPL.
"That night luckily Maia Bouchier texted me and I had ordered a Thai take away. It was nice to have Katherine Brunt with me, because she didn't get a bid either. After a few days, I got over it and carried on."
Later that year, she withdrew from her WBBL contract with Perth Scorchers citing fatigue due to a hectic summer.
While personal ambitions and weather conditions have challenged Wyatt-Hodge in the World Cup, there hasn't been a strong push from the opposition. Her 105* against Sri Lanka came off 62 deliveries; 65 vs West Indies needed 45 balls while 89* vs New Zealand took only 53 balls. She has 39 fours in the World Cup, nine more than the next best tally, held by Smriti Mandhana.
If England are to go all the way, she will have to deal with the two strongest bowling units in the tournament. In a 16-year long career, this is Wyatt-Hodge's most evolved version as a batter – more than a slogger, more than just a destructive opener. She finds herself with greater responsibility than ever before, to shoulder England's march to the world title.
Today, she sits seventh on the list of batters with most T20I runs in women's cricket, just 15 runs short of Stafanie Taylor's returns. There's a peculiar cruelty to player auctions that can make the best wonder if they had imagined their self-worth. Should her efforts lead England to lift the World Cup, it will fulfill her long-time dream, and hopefully make her believe that she wasn't fooled into thinking how good a player she was.
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