Danni Wyatt-Hodge defends England’s shock Women’s T20 World Cup exit | ‘Don’t become a bad side in eight overs’

Danni Wyatt-Hodge has defended England’s form after the side suffered a disappointing group-stage exit at the Women’s T20 World Cup last month.

England were dumped out before the knockout stages for the first time since 2010 following a six-wicket loss to West Indies who, chasing 142 to win, raced to 100 inside 12 overs as England dropped five catches along the way.

Heather Knight’s side are back in action for the first time since on Sunday, playing South Africa in the first of three T20 internationals – live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 3.30pm – ahead of a three-match ODI series and a one-off Test.

“No, I don’t think so,” Wyatt-Hodge answered, when asked if the team had a point to prove on their tour of South Africa.

“We’ve had a really successful last couple of years and we don’t become a bad side in that eight or so overs we had against West Indies. We’ve got to look at the positives.

“We’re here now in South Africa, excited to get going. There’s really good vibes around the group.

“We want to inspire and entertain, as always, and focus on playing that fearless brand of cricket that we’ve played over the last couple of years.”

Quizzed further on the calamitous loss to West Indies, Wyatt-Hodge said: “When you’re under the pump in tournament cricket, it’s not easy.

“I think the girls will learn a lot from that moment, so we’ve just got to see the positives from it.

“If we’re in that position again, we’ll know what to do. We’ve just got to move on and make the most of this series.”

Asked if the criticism of the side had surprised her, Wyatt-Hodge replied: “No, that’s part of the game now.

“We put ourselves out there. People are entitled to say what they want outside of this group, that’s fine, but we know what’s going on and that’s all that matters.”

England have lost the services of Paige Scholfield for the T20 leg of their tour of South Africa, with the 28-year-old Surrey all-rounder withdrawn from the squad after suffering an ankle injury in training on Tuesday.

“We’re obviously really gutted for Paige,” Wyatt-Hodge said. “She’s a good mate of mine as well, so I was really sad to see her go down.

“She’s a tough cookie. She has been really unlucky with injuries over the last few years but I’ve just seen her and she is putting a smile on her face and staying positive.

“She really deserved her chance in this squad for this series. But I’m sure there will be lots more chances for her to show off what she can do in England colours.”

England in South Africa fixtures – live on Sky Sports

T20 series

Sunday November 24: South Africa vs England – Buffalo Park Cricket Stadium, East London
Wednesday November 27: South Africa vs England – Willowmoore Park, Benoni
Saturday November 30: South Africa vs England – SuperSport Park, Centurion

ODI series

Wednesday December 4: South Africa vs England – Kimberley Oval, Kimberley
Sunday December 8: South Africa vs England – Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium, Durban
Wednesday December 11: South Africa vs England – JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom

Test match

December 15-18: South Africa vs England – Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein

Watch England’s three-format tour of South Africa live on Sky Sports Cricket from November 24 until the run up to Christmas. Get Sky Sports to watch cricket and lots more live.