Heartbroken Villani determined to find next level

Elyse Villani has described her axing from the Australian team as "heartbreaking" but the batter is determined to focus on the positives ahead of the domestic summer. 

The experienced Victorian was left out of Australia’s 14-player squad for the upcoming tour of the West Indies, having failed to break into the playing XI during last month’s seven-game, multi-format Ashes in the United Kingdom.

It was a bitter blow for the 29-year-old, who has been part of the Australian set-up for more than a decade, but in Villani’s favour is the fact she has fought her way back into the side after being dropped on two previous occasions, most recently in early 2016.

"It was pretty heartbreaking finding out I wasn’t selected. I’m looking at it in terms of it being a bit of a breakup, " Villani told cricket.com.au.

"Cricket’s broken up with me but I’m hoping one day we get back together.

"But at the same time, it’s the perfect opportunity for me to invest some time in myself. 

If she hopes to be part of Australia’s squad for the T20 World Cup on home soil next February and March, she will have to prove her case through weight of runs for Victoria in the Women’s National Cricket League and for Melbourne Stars in the Rebel WBBL.

"I firmly believe I can take my game to another level so spend this next little period ensuring I’m doing everything I can do to that," she said.

"Hopefully it’s enough to get me back in the fold of things but if not, if they don’t want to pick up that relationship with me I guess I‘m in a better spot all the same.

"I’m not looking to put too much pressure on myself to score runs … I think the most important thing for me is improvement and growth within my own game and making sure I’m enjoying the journey, I don’t want to get too fixated on the outcome, I want to enjoy the process."

Villani was speaking at the launch of the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 Schools Program, a free classroom-based, teacher-led program for Australian students.

A trained teacher who left the classroom to pursue cricket full-time, Villani made a brief return to her former role on Tuesday when she led a group of local students through the program during a session at the MCG.

The program has a particular focus on wellbeing, while also showcasing the stories of inspiring women and teaching children about the cultures of the teams set to compete in both the women’s and men’s T20 World Cups in 2020.

For Villani, the messages around resilience and wellbeing resonate particularly strongly given her recent setback.

"Spending time on health and wellbeing being is important," she said. "We know there’s plenty of highs and lows in life and building that resilience and support network from a really young age is really important to make sure we can maintain balance throughout life."

The program is aimed at students aged 5-16 years old, with the united designed to go beyond merely putting bats and balls in students’ hands.

"We passionately believe in the power of major sporting events to deliver positive impacts," ICC T20 World Cup Local Organising Committee CEO Nick Hockley said.

"Over the last 18 months, we’ve worked with education experts, teachers and Australian Cricket to design a world-class schools program, freely accessible to every school in Australia.

"Not only will ICC T20 World Cup 2020 be a spectacular celebration of cricket, but it will have positive lasting impact well beyond the boundary."

For more information on the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 Schools Program, visit schools.t20worldcup.com.

CommBank Tour of the West Indies

One-Day Internationals*
*ICC Women's Championship matches

September 5: First ODI, Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua

September 8: Second ODI, Sir Viv Richards Ground, Antigua

September 11: Third ODI, Sir Viv Richards Ground, Antigua

Twenty20 Internationals

September 14: First T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

September 16: Second T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

September 18: Third T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados