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Australia Women’s coach Shelley Nitschke has backed Annabel Sutherland<\/a><\/strong> for a back-end role with the bat as the dominant force looks to regain their crown in the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England & Wales in June.\u00a0<\/p>\n Due to the batting prowess at the top, Sutherland has seen herself batting as late as number 7 or number 8. Despite this, her abilities with the ball make the all-rounder a non-negotiable feature in the side. She has scored just 208 runs from 23 innings at a strike rate of over 135, but has been clinical with the ball, with 44 scalps in 44 innings.<\/p>\n Nitschke has backed the all-rounder for a finisher role due to her versatility and batting repertoire, and believes that she is at the cusp of breaking out in the shortest format.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I think it’s a tricky one for Bells. Domestically she bats quite high up the order but has sort of found herself in that middle order finishing role for us, and I think she certainly can take that role on. She has shown that she can make runs up top but she’s also showed that she’s got some tricks and a 360 [degree] game to play that middle to finishing role as well,” Nitschke told reporters, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.<\/p>\n “I actually think she’s really versatile and she’s probably on the cusp of really, I think, blowing her T20 game open. I think domestically she’s been really successful at different times, probably for us hasn’t quite had that same success, but I expect to see her having an impact with both bat and ball throughout this tournament,” she added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Sutherland sat out of the recent series against the West Indies after featuring against India. Her last competitive appearance for Australia<\/a><\/strong> saw her score a brilliant 129 in the WACA Test against India. She stated that sitting out of the West Indies series provided her with a much-needed break to refresh before the T20 World Cup.<\/p>\n “I think it’s obviously tough when your team-mates are playing and I absolutely love playing for and representing Australia, so I missed that – but I knew it was the right call for me, to be honest. Physically, mentally, just to refresh and prioritise what I needed to make sure that I’m raring to go for when it matters most – which is this T20 World Cup,” Sutherland told cricket.com.au in a recent interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Australia kicks off their T20 World Cup campaign against South Africa at Old Trafford on June 13, in a repeat of the semi-final from the 2024 edition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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