Record-breaking Schutt maintains fight to stay ahead

Australia’s Megan Schutt entered unchartered territory in the T20I wicket-taking charts last week, then brought up a special milestone in Bristol on Wednesday.

But the ultra-competitive pace bowler cannot help but admit recent losses have taken the sheen off her achievements, as England fought their way back into the multi-format Ashes.

Schutt moved ahead of Pakistan spinner Nida Dar’s 126 wickets to become the outright highest wicket-taker in women’s T20Is during the third 20-over Ashes game at Lord’s when she had Danni Wyatt caught behind.

Several days later in Bristol, she claimed her 250th wicket across all international formats when she again removed Wyatt, becoming just the second Australian woman to the milestone behind Ellyse Perry.

While the 30-year-old South Australian can appreciate the magnitude of those achievements, she would have preferred they had come in a game that saw Australia retain the Ashes, or win the multi-format series outright.

"I'd feel a lot better if I wasn't going at 13s in the last few games," Schutt told The Scoop podcast of becoming the game’s leading T20I wicket-taker.

"It's a hard one ... it's cool, it's a really cool achievement, shows I've been around the block for a while as well.

"But you can't help but compact a little bit and go, ‘geez, that hasn't been my best series’.

"So it would have been cool to have done that on a win or at least have been bowling a little bit better.

"But (still) a really cool reflection of being able to be a fast bowler who's played enough cricket to reach that stat (and) to have overtaken a spinner is pretty cool, fly the flag a little bit for pacies, even though my change-ups are probably the speed of a spinner anyways.

"It's a nice achievement, but hopefully some of these young girls can overtake that one day."

After missing out on the Test in Trent Bridge, Schutt picked up four wickets across the three T20Is but was expensive, with an economy rate of 10.9, and returned 1-40 off seven overs in the first ODI at Bristol as England sealed a two-wicket win.

The right-armer is undoubtedly frustrated – even more so given the Ashes remain alive with two ODIs to play – but said it was exactly those tough series that had motivated her to keep improving and evolving across an international career that stretches back to 2012.

"It has been these little moments, to be honest, where I've got my arse kicked, or we've lost a series where I've had to reinvent a certain ball or change a little tweak in my action," Schutt said.

"Even pre-this tour, I've had to take the little jump and skip out on of my run-up , which has been a big change.

"That was a must do for my knees, really, it's extra elastic load that I just don't need ... and it's been another little thing to tweak and work on and that changes momentum at the crease.

"There’s always something and if it's not a particular ball that I'm working on, then it could be tactical, just to keep things fresh – I get bored very easily and I'm playing a game that is all about being mundane and boring so you've got to find creative ways within that."

Schutt will miss the three-game ODI tour of Ireland later this month, instead returning home as soon as the final Ashes one-dayer is played in Taunton.

She also elected not to put her name forward for The Hundred after playing for London Spirit last season.

Officially, the reason given for her absence from the games in Dublin was to manage the right-armer ahead of a busy summer that includes home tours against West Indies and South Africa, away trips to India and Bangladesh, alongside the Weber WBBL.

But there’s also the fact she has not seen her wife Jess or daughter Rylee, who will soon celebrate her second birthday, since early June.

Image Id: AEB33C0D6ED94DB5809CE5159860E66D Image Caption: Schutt, wife Jess and daughter Rylee with the World Cup trophy in 2022 // Getty

"If there's anything I'm learning as I'm getting older is that my mental health is pretty important and leaving your wife and child for long periods of time is really hard," Schutt said.

"It's easy to come out and say (it’s just about the) heavy workload – which it is, it's a hell of a summer, hell of a schedule – but I also need to be at home with my wife and child."

With 183 international caps to her name across the three formats, and nine Test wickets sitting alongside the 113 she has taken in ODIs and 128 in T20Is, there is one in particular that stands out as Schutt’s favourite.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it came on March 8, 2020, in front of 86,174 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, when she found a thin edge to have powerful India opener Shafali Verma caught behind for two in the first over of India’s chase.

Image Id: 4E0C7ED59FD045998642170D3BE5AD0A Image Caption: Megan Schutt celebrates the wicket of India’s Shafali Verma in the 2020 T20 World Cup Final at the MCG // Getty

"That's probably when I was most amped, I think," she said.

"You saw my neck vein was about to burst so I was pretty pumped for that one."

Sharp Schutter: Marking the milestone wickets

Wicket No.1

Lucy Doolan c Alyssa Healy b Megan Schutt

(Australia v New Zealand, North Sydney Oval, Dec 2012)

Schutt made her international debut on December 17, 2012 at North Sydney Oval, taking the new ball alongside Ellyse Perry. Her five overs went wicketless on a day best remembered for Meg Lanning’s 45-ball century, but Schutt got her first scalp at the same ground two days later. "It was 50-over cricket, it was Lucy Doolan with a terrible ball down the leg side ... yeah, I remember that," Schutt said.

Wicket No.50

Smriti Mandhana b Megan Schutt

(Australia v India, Blundstone Arena, Feb 2016)

Schutt struck at a critical time for Australia in the second of three one-dayers against India on home soil in 2016. Smriti Mandhana had just brought up a century and the tourists were 2-184 after 39 overs. But Mandhana did no further damage after Schutt rattled her stumps.

Wicket No.100

Fran Wilson b Megan Schutt

(Australia v England, Manuka Oval, Nov 2017)

Tasked with bowling the 20th as England batted first in the second of three Ashes T20Is in Canberra in November 2017, Schutt put the tourists on the back foot when she bowled Fran Wilson and just four runs were scored off the over – although England would go on to win the game.

Wicket No.150

Lauren Winfield-Hill c Delissa Kimmince b Megan Schutt

(England v Australia, Hove, Jul 2019)

With the Ashes already won outright after the first T20I in Chelmsford, the party continued for the Australians in Brighton. Schutt removed Winfield-Hill for 12 as the hosts were kept to 8-121, a target Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry reeled in with 2.1 overs to spare.

Image Id: 5CF8AACE6CB84D8090F8EAEBB2B4CC87

Wicket No.200

Maddy Green b Megan Schutt

(New Zealand v Australia, Mount Maunganui, Apr 2021)

Schutt had already removed Hayley Jensen with her first ball of the match and rolled on when she had Amelia Kerr stumped on 33. She bowled Green to pick up a third, then bagged a fourth when Jess Kerr holed out, finishing with figures of 4-32 in an emphatic Australian victory.

Image Id: 7124A5C630CE4BA5ABE7E92C730618CA

Wicket No.250

Danni Wyatt c Jess Jonassen b Megan Schutt

(England v Australia, Bristol, Jul 2023)

Australia were trying to claw their way back into the game after England made a rapid start to their pursuit of a target of 264, and Schutt chipped in with the wicket of Wyatt to stall the hosts’ momentum, although skipper Heather Knight ultimately saw her team to a famous win.

CommBank Ashes Tour of the UK 2023

Multi-format series level at 6-6

Test: Australia won by 89 runs

First T20I: Australia won by four wickets

Second T20I: England won by three runs

Third T20I: England won by five wickets (DLS)

First ODI: England won by two wickets

Second ODI: July 16 at The Rose Bowl, Southampton, 11am (8pm AEST)

Third ODI: July 18 at The County Ground, Taunton, 1pm (10pm AEST)

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, HGrace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

England ODI squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt (vc), Issy Wong, Danielle Wyatt