Redfern believes Danni Wyatt and Georgia Elwiss have long England careers ahead of them

Former England and Staffordshire all rounder Sue Redfern believes Danni Wyatt and Georgia Elwiss have long international careers ahead of them.

Wyatt and Elwiss were named in the England squad back in November for the upcoming tour of New Zealand which commences in February.

Redfern who played six Test matches and 15 ODIs between 1995 and 1999 says the 20 year olds both still have a lot of developing to do but have a promising career still come.

She said: “Both are young, and injury dependant, have long careers in cricket. They shouldn’t be resting on their current performances, they should be looking to enhance and develop their own performance.

“Both are great profiles and role models and we should be using this as a way to promote to the game to inspire the next generation of cricketers.”

Redfern played with both Wyatt and Elwiss at Staffordshire and Meir Heath cricket club and she could see the potential talent in them both.

She continued: “You could tell they had talent but young talent. It was important they nurtured that talent and progressed and didn’t just stay good players.

“Interestingly both developed at different ages, showing that each player has to be treated differently.

“Showing potential and progressing to the next stage has many caveats and challenges, both players still need to develop not just on the pitch but off the pitch and their behaviours.

“At the moment they are the best in England, but to play for England in the future they have to be the best players in the world.”

Both players will be looking to make their mark on the team and cement their places in the squad ahead of a busy 15 months, which starts in Sri Lanka with the Twenty20 world cup in 2012.

Published at http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=8d7b7103571021b70cdab70cf&id=c86071c423 under bright careers for Staffordshire girls. Just scroll down to the Women’s and girls section and you will find it.

Sue Redfern believes England’s women can dominate for years

Former England all rounder Sue Redfern believes that England’s surge to the top of the world is down to the current group of players and the set up at national and grass roots level.

Redfern played six Test matches and 15 ODIs between 1995 and 1999 and she attributes the national success to the physical and mental abilities of the side.

She said: “The success of the England side is down to the support and efforts of the existing management system and players themselves.

“They have become athletes and are highly motivated and talented, as a result are now achieving things they have worked hard for.

“Some of the girls can remember when they were losing to other international teams. They are highly competitive and their own determination has driven their performance.”

With the lack of Test cricket in the women’s game, and more twenty20 cricket, women are having to adapt to the current climate.

She continued: “Test matches aren’t played anymore so tours are shorter and games are more frequent meaning the fitness levels have to be higher.

“Fielding has dramatically improved as the girls are athletes not cricketers now. They also have more explosive power because of the introduction of twenty20.”

Redfern doesn’t brush aside the impact the ECB has had at the top level.

She said: “The ECB has invested in the squad for the past five or six years and the development and resources this has given the team has allowed the girls to progress.

“The girls are also supported financially. They aren’t paid to play but they are given support which means they can fit in time to train effectively.”

In her current role as development lead for women and girl’s cricket, Redfern is delighted with the set up at the grass roots level and believes this also has a part to play in the rise to number one in the world.

Redfern continued: “There is a lot more competition for places now compared to when I played, meaning it is harder to get to the top and only the best manage to do it.

“The government and ECB have invested money in all levels from playground cricket to the Test arena.

“£5.2 million has been invested into clubs developing women’s and girl’s cricket. The number of clubs has risen from 93 in 2003 to 565 in 2011.

“The growth in women’s cricket was shown this year, when the academy side played international teams and didn’t lose, showing the potential strength in depth.”

England are looking to stretch the gap between them and the chasing pack in February when they take on New Zealand who are under the new captaincy of Suzie Bates and Redfern believes it’s an important tour for both teams.

Redfern said: “New Zealand need to improve, they were poor last summer and it’s their chance to put the record straight.

“For England it’s a chance for them to develop their skills and for some of them they will be looking to cement their places in the team with both World cups coming up in the next 15 months.”