Jersey's Wetherall set for 'amazing' franchise chance
Jersey's Wetherall set for 'amazing' franchise chance
Brent Pilnick - BBC SportThu, August 13, 2026 at 6:53 AM UTC
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Wetherall has scored 766 T20 international runs for Jersey and taken 29 wickets
Jersey all-rounder Grace Wetherall says she is relishing the chance to make her franchise cricket debut.
The 19-year-old has been picked by the Vancouver Anchors for the Canada Super60 - a 10-over franchise tournament.
She is joined in Vancouver by the likes of Pakistan captain Fatima Sana, experienced Australian Laura Harris and English players such as Davina Perrin, Alexa Stonehouse and Grace Ballinger.
"It's going to be an amazing opportunity, a great way to get my name out there and to meet and learn so much from amazing players," Wetherall told BBC Sport.
"I don't know how much game time I'll get, I'm not even fussed by it at all.
"Just being around the set-up and seeing and training with these people is going to be fantastic, and if I'm lucky enough to get on the pitch and be able to try to showcase my skills, it's going to be a very difficult but amazing opportunity."
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The tournament also has a number of high-profile male players taking part including Glamorgan batter and fellow Jersey international Asa Tribe, former England players such as Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali, and West Indies' Andre Russell.
The 10-over format is the shortest form of the game and is rarely played at professional level.
But Wetherall was part of the Jersey side that won the Challenger Division of the European Cricket Championship in Spain in December 2024 in the 10-over format.
"I think it's good that I have the knowledge of playing it because when we went to Malaga in 2024 for the ECN Championship we had never played T10 before," she explains.
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"I remember our first game, especially as a batter, it's very hard to switch your brain from even T20 and 50-over cricket.
"The way you go about your batting is so different. T10 you've only got 60 balls to get as many runs on the board as possible, so it's about having the knowledge of what to do in those situations, especially as a bowler.
"It's hard because basically the batter is trying to pump you around, so having the knowledge and knowing what to expect in that T10 environment is going to be pretty helpful for me I think."
The call-up, which Wetherall says she had not expected, is the latest step in her cricketing career.
As well as being a lynchpin of the Jersey side, she has played 50 T20 internationals, scoring 766 runs, spent last winter playing grade cricket in Australia and was part of a European team that played at Lord's earlier this year.
"Australia was the key for my development," explains Wetherall, who spent time at the North Sydney Bears.
"Going out there and doing the International Cricket Programme really pushed me to my limits and made me realise this is something I want to do.
"Being in the county setup is hard, especially coming from Jersey to get your name out there.
"It's been difficult, but slowly progressing and especially getting into franchise stuff, hopefully this will help me.
"But I'm just trying to climb the ladder really and get as far as I can go, but Australia was definitely what pushed me to properly develop the best."
Source: “AOL Sports”
