Australian spinner Jess Jonassen has given national selectors a massive headache after helping the Delhi Capitals book their spot in the Women’s Premier League final.
Last month, the Queenslander was dropped from Australia’s squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of Bangladesh, missing national selection for the first time in 12 years and putting her in doubt for October’s T20 World Cup.
Jonassen, a four-time T20 World Cup champion, is Australia’s most prolific T20I spinner with 96 scalps at 19.62 and an economy rate of 5.76. However, the 31-year-old has fallen down the pecking order behind fellow spinners Alana King, Georgia Wareham and Sophie Molineux, while the emergence of all-rounder Ash Gardner as a strike bowler has weakened her role in the team.
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“Over the last couple of years, in particular over the last 12 months, JJ’s role has not been as strong in the team,” national selector Shawn Flegler explained to reporters last month.
“The message for her is to keep working hard, you just never know when the next opportunity is going to come … we’ve got a World Cup obviously at the back end of this year back in Bangladesh and we want to see JJ keep fighting and putting a hand up for selection, which I know she will.”
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After missing selection for last month’s Test match against South Africa in Perth, Jonassen claimed 4-6 and scored an unbeaten 29 (23) during Queensland’s WNCL match against Western Australia. The left-armed tweaker carried that momentum in the WPL, where she is currently the tournament’s equal leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps at 15.09 despite missing the Capitals’ first two matches.
Jonassen claimed three-wicket hauls in three consecutive matches, serving as a death bowler to help Delhi top the standings and qualify for Sunday’s final against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. During the group stage match against the Gujarat Giants, she knocked over national teammates Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney and Gardner in a player of the match performance in Bengaluru.
“I still have that drive and determination to want to keep playing,” Jonassen told Sportstar last week.
“There were thoughts of whether it was time to retire from international cricket or not, whether I was still wanted, whether I was still good enough.
“I’m not really thinking too far ahead now. It’s just about taking up whatever opportunities pop up to try and give myself the best possible chance and do my very best for the team that I’m a part of.”
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Speaking to ESPNcricinfo ahead of Australia’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh, which gets underway next week, national coach Shelley Nitschke admitted she wasn’t surprised at the manner in which Jonassen responded to her axing.
“She’s a real fighter, certainly not surprised with how she’s going about that and making a statement which is exactly what we like to see,” Nitschke said.
“It’s really tough to leave out a player like JJ who has been around for a long time. She has been a great servant for us, but she’s certainly not out of the mix. She’s showing exactly what she is capable of over in the WPL which has been fantastic to watch.”
The Capitals, who lost last year’s WPL final against the Mumbai Indians, will need to silence superstar all-rounder Ellyse Perry for any chance of securing a maiden title. The Australian has been in blistering form in the T20 tournament, leading the run-scoring charts with 312 runs at 62.40 while taking 6-15 during a record-breaking spell against Mumbai last week.
The WPL gets underway at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday morning at 1am AEDT.
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