Better, faster, stronger: Sutherland eyes return

Teenager Annabel Sutherland is itching to unleash the gains she’s made this off-season when Australia kickstarts the international cricket season against New Zealand on Saturday.

Sutherland, who will turn 19 next month, has made the most of her first full pre-season as a professional cricketer despite the challenges and restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, adding muscle to her tall, lean frame.

The pace-bowling allrounder hopes the pay-off will come in the form of greater speed and control, as she vies for a spot in Australia’s XI for the first CommBank T20I at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field.

"I had a really good go at building a proper strength base and it was a relatively successful pre-season," Sutherland told cricket.com.au on Monday from Brisbane, where she has just completed her two-week hotel quarantine with her Victorian and NSW/ACT teammates.

"I was able to stay fit and build some strength along the way.

"I can notice it with my bowling, I’m stronger at the crease so you’ve got more consistent body positions, which means you have more consistent outcomes in terms of the ball you want to bowl and where that ball actually goes.

"I feel I have more control and I think that comes with pace as well.

"It’ll take a few years to get to where I want to be, but it’s a good start with this pre-season that I’ve had."

Image Id: ECD124F02C404352B8F0C2C88BF351F1 Image Caption: Sutherland in the nets in Brisbane last week // cricket.com.au

No longer having to juggle high school with cricket has been a welcome change for Sutherland, despite COVID-19 restrictions that limited the number of times per week the Victorian players could train leading into the trans-Tasman series.

The allrounder made her international debut in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup earlier this year, playing three group matches in Australia’s successful campaign that culminated in them winning their fifth title in front of 86,174 fans at the MCG.

Now, she hopes to add to her tally of six international caps and make her one-day international debut.

"That’s certainly the goal," she said.

"I’m just continuing to build on my game and improve on a few things I identified during the tri-series and World Cup."

Image Id: A9728052631048B6930323D47DDF545D Image Caption: Sutherland hopes to add to her six caps against New Zealand // cricket.com.au

Sutherland’s two weeks of hotel quarantine ended on Monday morning, and she welcomed the novelty of a celebratory walk around Brisbane.

The Victorian and NSW/ACT members of Australia’s 18-player group of the series were permitted to train for two hours each day under strictly controlled conditions during that quarantine period.

After some initial rust, Sutherland is now convinced she’s ready should she be selected to play this weekend.

Image Id: 42C658B295D8449D9CF360A886ADF19B Image Caption: Sutherland has been focused on building strength this preseason // cricket.com.au

"I’m feeling really good," she said.

"It’s been nice to have a bit of consistent training and we’ve had good access to the facilities up here, which is really good.

"Early doors in the first few days (it took) a bit of getting used to the conditions - we’d only had a few turf hit-outs in Melbourne - but the last few days have been good and I’m starting to hit the ball a bit more consistently."

The remainder of the Australian squad arrived in Brisbane on Monday, with a practice match to be held against New Zealand on Thursday.

CommBank T20I and ODI series

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry*, Megan Schutt, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Belinda Vakarewa *subject to fitness

New Zealand squad: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Natalie Dodd, Deanna Doughty, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jenson, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu, Jess Watkin

All matches to be played at Brisbane's Allan Border Field

September 26: First T20, 1:50pm AEST

September 27: Second T20, 1:45pm AEST

September 30: Third T20, 1:45pm AEST

October 3: First ODI, 10:10am AEST

October 5: Second ODI, 10:10am AEST (11:10 AEDT)

October 7: Third ODI, 10:10am AEST (11:10 AEDT)