England women all-rounder Danielle Wyatt has paid tribute to her inspirational captain Charlotte Edwards after she led her country out for the 200th time on Monday night.
Edwards led England to a 2-1 victory in the Twenty20 series against New Zealand with a five-wicket win, with much of the pre-match focus on Edwards’ milestone.
Wyatt, one of the younger members of the squad out in New Zealand, said she was proud to have played alongside one of England’s all-time greats.
Speaking exclusively to ecb.co.uk, Wyatt said:“I’m so proud of Lottie; she’s a good friend of mine as well so I was really proud of her yesterday when Paul Downton read out that letter from Clare Connor – that touched me as well.
So chuffed we got a win for @Lottie2323 on her 200th anniversary! It's been a pleasure mate #decoy#Lottie200pic.twitter.com/z1PMvuWrva
— Heather Knight (@Heatherknight55) February 24, 2015
“I’m always learning off Lottie and the way she goes about her business.”
The win at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln means England head into the remaining two games of the one-day international series with renewed hope of overcoming a 2-1 deficit, starting tomorrow at the same venue.
Wyatt reflected the positive mood in the camp, saying: “To end the tour on a high would be fantastic.
“We’ve already won the T20 series 2-1 so to win the next two ODIs would be amazing.”
She added: “Everybody is really excited, there’s a good mood in camp which is really good. Everybody is jumping about, looking forward to the game tomorrow.”
Extremely proud to be leading England for the 200th time today. Overwhelmed by all the lovely messages. Thank you :)
— Charlotte Edwards (@Lottie2323) February 23, 2015
The 23-year-old from Stoke has had a frustrating time on tour. Despite featuring in all three T20 games she has so far bowled just one over and not featured with the bat.
However, she has been preparing well in training should she be called upon.
“I’m working hard in the nets, doing everything I can to show my performances to the coaches,” she said.
“If Lottie throws me the ball if I play tomorrow then I’m just going to try and grab each opportunity.”