Having missed Australia’s three previous World Cup triumphs, fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck is chomping at the bit for a chance to be unleashed in the United Arab Emirates following years of frustration and heartbreak.
The Victorian quick was 20 when she received her maiden T20I cap, playing one match during the 2018 T20 World Cup in the West Indies, the first of Australia’s three consecutive title wins. She was selected for the 2020 edition of the marquee tournament on home soil but suffered a stress fracture in the navicular bone of her foot on the eve of the campaign, watching from the sidelines as Australia defended its title in front of 86,174 fans at the MCG.
Donning a moon boot, Vlaeminck celebrated the victory with her teammates on the hallowed turf but admits it remains a bittersweet memory.
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“I was pretty grateful for how they included me in it all, but you still don’t feel quite a part of it,” Vlaeminck told Fox Cricket last month.
“You’re not in the change rooms, you’re not touring with the girls, you’re not out in the field.
“Ever since then, I just really wanted to be part of a winning World Cup and be back around a World Cup squad.”
Vlaeminck’s foot injury sparked a horror three-year ordeal in the casualty ward, which included another foot stress fracture and a freak shoulder dislocation while bowling in the United Kingdom. She watched Australia win the 2022 World Cup final from her living room alongside national teammates Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham, who were recovering from injuries of their own.
“I still remember that day, sitting and watching the (final),” Vlaeminck recalled.
“It was a weird vibe because we were all obviously so excited that some of our best friends had just won the World Cup, but we were obviously shattered that we weren’t there.”
After missing selection for last year’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, Vlaeminck received a long-awaited national recall for March’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh, replacing injured quick Darcie Brown.
Having gotten through the recent Australia A series in Queensland unscathed, she was named in the 15-player squad for the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, ending an agonising six-year drought.
“It’s hard to actually put into words how excited I am for the World Cup,” Vlaeminck continued.
“Going back to 2018 when I played my first World Cup, it was over in the West Indies, and I had the best time ever. It was a really cool group to be a part of.
“Because it was my first tour in Australian colours, I probably didn’t appreciate how awesome of an opportunity it was. They don’t come around like that all the time.
“That was the goal this whole pre-season, everything was leading towards being fit and healthy for the World Cup.”
During the pre-season, Vlaeminck fine-tuned her new bowling action, which was designed to take load off her fragile foot, while continuing her push towards the magical 130km/h mark. For the first time in years, she’s playing cricket without worrying about triggering another foot injury.
“It’s not something I have to constantly think about,” Vlaeminck smiled.
“It’s been really nice getting back into playing the game and getting into the competition of it all, rather than in the back of your head thinking about, ‘Step, step, move,’ that kind of thing.
“I got through a whole pre-season, which I don’t think I’ve done in a very long time.
“I just kind of felt normal … I could go into training and just do what everyone else does.
“It’s nice just to have the weight of it off your shoulders.”
Vlaeminck has also developed her T20 skills, working on different variations and alternate methods of holding the ball. She hopes to become a bowler who can be called upon at any point in the innings, whether that be during the Powerplay, at the death, or otherwise.
“I just want to get my game to the point where I can be available whenever I’m needed; that’s the best way to get the most out of myself and to give myself the best opportunity to be playing this squad,” Vlaeminck continued.
“We’ve got so many amazing bowlers, so you have to be able to do a bit of everything.
“Obviously bowling with the new ball is my favourite part of the innings. It comes off a bit quicker, it swings, it’s a bit nicer.
“We’ve also got Megan Schutt, Kim Garth, Bellsy (Annabel Sutherland), some incredible death bowlers. If they have to do that part and I get the fun part at the start, I’m not too displeased with that either.”
Vlaeminck missed Saturday’s match against Sri Lanka, with national selectors preferring Brown for Australia’s tournament opener in Sharjah. However, she’ll almost certainly be called upon at some stage in the tournament, potentially for Friday evening’s match against Pakistan in Dubai.
Brown and Vlaeminck, the fastest bowlers in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, have never played together in the same team, but they’re unlikely to bowl in tandem this month courtesy of the United Arab Emirates’ slow decks.
“It’s always been like I get rested and Darcie plays, or Darcie gets rested and I play, or I’m injured and Darcie’s in the squad, or vice versa,” Vlaeminck laughed.
“It’d be really cool (to bowl alongside Brown) … I’m actually just really excited to tour with her again.
“I’m not sure Dubai’s wickets are overly pace-conducive, I’m hoping they are, but at some point getting to play together would be pretty cool.”
Australia will next face trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in Sharjah on Wednesday with the first ball scheduled for 1am AEDT.
