Dunkley, who is also Wyatt-Hodge’s teammate at Surrey, has reached double figures in six of his seven innings for club and country this summer without going beyond 31, including 10 off 14 balls against India in Bristol on Saturday, in which his only boundary was a straight six off Arundhati Reddy.
Although Wyatt-Hodge was on maternity leave for England’s first four T20Is against New Zealand and India, Ellis Capsey seized her chance at the top of the order with a match-winning unbeaten 74 off 51 balls in the derby. With England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt still expected to return to the middle order after a calf injury, the onus may fall on Dunkley to reaffirm his claim as first-choice pick.
“I’ve opened the batting with Sophia Dunkley for many years and we all know how good Sophia is,” Wyatt-Hodge told reporters on the eve of the series decider in Taunton.
“Getting the game going from the first ball, she’s at her best. It’s not an easy thing to do, especially when the ball is swinging a lot and going out of the pitch. But Dunks has been very successful at the top, and we’ve had some good partnerships together, and I’m really looking forward to getting out there with her tomorrow, and then obviously at the World Cup as well.”
Dunkley faced a tough time during England’s last ICC campaign, the 2025 50-over World Cup, in which he scored 68 runs in six innings on India’s spin-friendly surfaces, and he did not bat in his only appearance against Scotland in the last T20 World Cup in the UAE two years ago. However, Wyatt-Hodge said he expected “fireworks” from his teammates as England bid for a morale-boosting win in the series decider against India.
“I told him that day, his intentions are incredible,” Wyatt-Hodge said. “When opening the batting in T20 cricket you fail at times, it’s the nature of the game. But he put himself out there to be brave from the very first ball and that’s a credit to him.
“I’m very proud of her, and she looks really good, and I think a big score is coming. Hopefully here in Taunton, it’s usually quite a good batting track. So, yes, I’m expecting fireworks from Sofia tomorrow night. It will be great for her.
“She’s been very successful in this format for England over the last few years, and it’s an amazing feeling to hang out with her. We have a lot of laughs out there, and hopefully there will be a few more smiles tomorrow.”
Following the arrival of her daughter Daisy 12 days ago and the “incredible” experience of the first few days of parenthood, Wyatt-Hodge is all smiles.
“People can tell you things, but unless you’re involved in it, you don’t really understand it,” he said. “It’s absolutely incredible. Those first few nights at home were something I’ve obviously never experienced before, but wow, she’s so beautiful. And Georgie, my wife, is doing great too. So I’m very proud of my girls. We’ve got a new supporter in Daisy, she can’t wait to see us.”
However, now that she is back with the England team, she says she is focused on getting back into the “cricket bubble”.
“I haven’t been around the group for so long, but I feel a very good atmosphere around the group,” he said, “a nice relaxed atmosphere.” Everyone is enjoying each other’s company. We have a few more games before the first game of the World Cup, and everyone is trying to get there when they get the chance.
England’s first match is likely to be against Sri Lanka on June 12, and Wyatt-Hodge admitted it is becoming harder to avoid tournament talks.
“Everyone’s really excited, you know. Everyone’s talking about the first game, even all the fans, whenever we go out and go for a coffee, people say ‘It’s not too long until the first World Cup game.’ I think it’s really important that we attend, but obviously you know it’s natural that we’re really excited for the first game at Edgbaston on the 12th.”
England have a proud record at home World Cups, having won each of the four events they have hosted – three ODI titles in 1973, 1993 and 2017 and the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2009. However, as a veteran of the 2017 campaign, Wyatt-Hodge hopes to bring that experience to the team.
“You know there’s probably going to be a little bit more pressure on us. It’s a home World Cup, but I think we really need to enjoy the opportunity. They don’t come around often, so for me anyway, I’m really going to enjoy the opportunity, and when I’m on it, I’m on it.
“I’m hungry to score runs and contribute for my country, and I know everyone else in my team will be too, and we’ll take it game by game.
“That’s what we did at the 2017 World Cup. We had our sights set on that final at Lord’s, but we really focused and planned for every game, and we played the match, and then parked it, and focused for the next match. We’ll go to training, see what the opponent will be like, who we’re going to come up against, go out there, try and win it, and then move on to the next game. I think that’s what we’ll do.” What are you doing.”
Andrew Miller is the UK editor for ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
