Adelaide leggies strike up new friendship

A nets session with rising Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has Amanda-Jade Wellington feeling more confident and eager to try out some new tricks in the Rebel WBBL semi-finals.

Eager to soak up as much as she can and learn from the world’s best this Rebel WBBL, Wellington sought out KFC BBL star Rashid for a nets session at Adelaide Oval, eager to compare skills with the Afghanistan teen sensation.

Rashid has taken Adelaide by storm during his first season at the club, sitting top of the wickets table at the end of the regular season, having claimed 17 scalps at 13 – form that resulted in a large Indian Premier League windfall for the 19-year-old, who was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for AUD$1.7m last weekend.

Having previously watched from afar as former Strikers imports Adil Rashid and Ish Sodhi went about their work at Adelaide Oval, Wellington – herself only 20 – was determined not to let the chance of a shared nets session slip past her this season.

Like Rashid, Wellington also burst onto the Big Bash and international cricket scenes as a teenager, wowing fans with her ability to put big revs on the ball.

But eager to work on her variations – in particular, her wrong’un – Wellington was only too thrilled to have a chance to pick Rashid’s brain.

“I was lucky enough to have a session with him,” Wellington told cricket.com.au. “We mainly had conversations between bowling balls in the nets.

“He gave me some tips about change-up balls while bowling and he helped me with my wrong’un quite a bit.

“It’s funny, I can actually spin it now, so I’m quite happy about that.

“We also chatted about a bit of pace on, pace off. The last few years with Adil Rashid and Ish Sodhi at the club, I always wanted to have a session with those guys but never had the guts to ask.

“So to have a nets session with Rash, he’s had amazing success so far.”

Wellington leads the wicket takers for Adelaide in WBBL|06 with 16 wickets at 20.43 in 14 matches for the Strikers this season, but admits she hasn’t been satisfied with her bowling throughout the season – describing it as “a rough patch”.

Having worked on her mental game as much as her on-field form, Wellington says she is now in a better headspace heading into the WBBL|03 semi-finals, which will see the Strikers play the Sixers at Adelaide Oval on Friday.

And with the work she’s been putting into her wrong’un on the training track, Wellington is hoping to hone the delivery into a weapon she can use more routinely in the middle.

“I’m hoping I can get the confidence to start bowling my variations in the Big Bash and in other games,” she said.

“There is the pressure as a young player, batters get to know you better and start playing you in different ways.

“With the technology we have now to watch people and create plans against different bowlers, you need to make sure you’re not being too predictable.

“I can’t always bowl my leg-break, so I’ve got to come up with a few different change-ups.”

Australia head to India next month for a limited-overs series featuring three ODIs and a tri-series involving England.

Wellington isn’t letting herself think that far ahead just yet, with WBBL finals to be dealt with first, but said it would be a dream to play on the subcontinent for the first time.

Instead, she’s just hoping for a spot in the WBBL final, and to see a strong turnout from the Strikers fans for the semi-final against the Sixers, which kicks off at 2.40pm local on Friday.

“Hopefully the fans get behind us,” she said. “It would be such an amazing atmosphere.”