T20 specialist Villani primed to take on England

For the last four weeks, Elyse Villani has been waiting patiently in the wings for her chance to wield the willow against England in the women’s Ashes.

Now, as the multi-format series reaches a crescendo with the final leg – three T20Is in the space of six days – Villani is ready to make her mark.

While her Australian teammates were playing out a drawn Test in Taunton, a result that ensured they would retain the Ashes, Villani had a chance to fine-tune her 20-over game in preparation for Friday’s first T20I at Chelmsford.

Lining up for Australia A in their final T20 against the England Academy, Villani struck a 46-ball 71, helping her side to a five-run win in the process – a victory that capped a successful tour for the ‘A’ side, as they returned home without dropping a match to the Academy side.

"I’m excited about getting into the T20Is," Villani told cricket.com.au.

"It’s always a massive challenge playing there in front of their home crowd, but the girls have been in outstanding form leading into this first T20 so hopefully we can continue that."

Rather than simply carrying drinks for the Australian Test XI, the scheduling of the ‘A’ tour alongside the Ashes meant Villani, whose explosive batting is well-suited to the shortest format, has been able to spend valuable time in the middle to ensure she’s primed if selected in that XI for the first T20I.

It’s the first time the tours have been run concurrently, with the ‘A’ fixtures also giving bonus game time to squad members Nicola Carey and Delissa Kimmince ahead of the 20-over matches.

"It’s always disappointing when you miss out on the first XI but to have the Australia A girls around and having the opportunity to go and play with some amazing people and some great coaches as well, that was something I really enjoyed.

"It was nice to get a few runs on the board. I think having the Australia A tour happening at the same time as our tour means it is a bit of an advantage for us, because playing time is absolute gold.

"The number one goal is to be on the field with the Aussies girls, but then grabbing any opportunity to get in the middle is a real bonus.

"You can hit as many balls as you like in the nets but the time in the middle is priceless."

After playing at the Essex ground during the 2015 Ashes series, Villani knows exactly what to expect from the venue England’s women like to call their ‘fortress’, a place where they’ve never tasted defeat and which traditionally attracts some of the largest and loudest crowds in the women’s game.

"The crowd gets behind them and in some serious numbers as well," Villani said.

"I remember copping a fair bit of stick on the boundary, they can be quite ruthless and very supportive of their team, which is great for the English and not so great for us, but it’s a real spectacle to be a part of."

Image Id: 4A1E61BAAE4D4E85852609143632D638 Image Caption: Elyse Villani celebrates during the 2015 Ashes series in England // Getty

And if England thought Australia might take a breather now, having already retained the multi-format Ashes with the T20I leg still to play, they’ll need to think again.

"If we only retain the Ashes and don’t win it outright, that’ll be really disappointing for us, so we know we’ve still got a lot to achieve," she said.

"The T20 series is a series within the Ashes series and we want to come here and win all three parts of the tour.

"England have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain so they’ll come out pretty hard and with a point to prove."

The first T20I at Chelmsford will get underway at 7.15pm Friday local time (4.15am Saturday AEST), with broadcast live on the Nine Network and ABC Radio.

CommBank Ashes Tour of England

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

England T20 squad:Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Amy Jones, Laura Marsh, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Mady Villiers, Lauren Winfield, Danni Wyatt

Australia lead England 8-2

First ODI: Australia won by two wickets

Second ODI: Australia won by four wickets

Third ODI:  Australia won by 194 runs

Only Test: Match Drawn

July 26: First T20, County Ground, Chelmsford

July 28: Second T20, The County Ground, Hove

July 31: Third T20, Bristol County Ground, Bristol