Past ills a distant memory for recalled Vakarewa

Belinda Vakarewa’s last international tour was one best filed in the ‘would rather forget’ category.

In 2018, the pace bowler travelled to India as part of Australia’s one-day international squad, hoping to build on her lone ODI appearance during the previous year’s World Cup.

But shortly after their arrival in Baroda for the three-match one-day series, Vakarewa, on her first subcontinent tour, was struck down by food poisoning.

Her 10 days in the Gujarat city were spent battling the effects of illness, a condition not helped by the relentless 40-degree heat, training when she could, seeking respite in the air-conditioned dressing room when she couldn’t.

She only recovered once Australia had completed a 3-0 whitewash, just in time to fly home.

"I got stitched up there," Vakarewa told cricket.com.au.

"We had a week of training and that’s when I got sick.

"I got a tummy bug and it lasted for five or six days if I remember, it wasn’t the best."

Image Id: 49D843313AA743E8990ECF227E5EF13F Image Caption: Vakarewa celebrates a wicket in Australia's last warm-up in India in 2018, before falling ill // cricket.com.au

However, Vakarewa believes she still took important lessons from that subcontinent tour, despite the adversity she faced.

"It was a big learning tour for me, I was there to learn and I took a lot away from it," she continued.

"Just watching how a couple of the girls went about their cricket on tour, I hadn’t been to India before that, so learning the conditions over there – it was extremely hot – and seeing how the girls handled that (was useful)."

The 22-year-old will have another chance to build on her one international cap, and to debut in the T20 format, when Australia host New Zealand in the CommBank ODI and T20I series in Brisbane later this month.

Her selection in Australia’s 18-player squad is reward for an outstanding Rebel WBBL season last summer, where she took more wickets than any other quick in the competition, earning a spot in the Team of the Tournament with 20 wickets at 15.8 for the Hobart Hurricanes.

It was her first season at the Hobart club after four years with the Sydney Thunder, where she had played a back-up role with the ball behind the likes of former Australia seamer Rene Farrell.

Vakarewa thrived with the greater responsibility she was handed at the Hurricanes and believes the work she has done with coach Salliann Briggs has been instrumental in her international recall.

"That opportunity and game time, I hadn’t had a lot of that before and I think Sal’s a great coach," she explained.

"I’m bowling four overs a game and before that I was bowling two, if I was lucky.

"To have people who believe in you, it wasn’t just (Sal) – I was thrown the ball on the field in a couple of situations that I never thought would happen for me.

"To have people who back you, it makes it feel like you can believe in yourself.

"Even if it didn’t go my way every time, next time you’re in that situation you’ve had that learning curve and hopefully I’ve learnt form it and I can back myself a bit too."

Vakarewa is one of a crop of former New South Wales and Thunder players who have sought a ‘treechange’ in Tasmania, alongside leg-spinner Maisy Gibson, batter Naomi Stalenberg and Australia allrounder Nicola Carey.

That, plus her new responsibilities with the ball, have changed her outlook on the game.

"Giving me the opportunity to play more cricket, I’ve really fallen in love with it again down here," she said.

"I had so much fun on the field and off the field down here, and I’m not saying anything was bad anywhere else before, but I don’t think I loved the game like I have down here."

Moving south with friends also made the adjustment easier, she believes – as does the fact her mother lives in Launceston.

"A few of the girls who have come down are my close mates and we’re all just enjoying it together," she said.

"Maisy and Nic made it easier to slide into the squad, I’m a bit of an awkward person so it was easy to bounce off them."

Vakarewa will travel to Brisbane on September 21, ahead of the first T20I at Allan Border Field on September 26.

In a squad of 18, getting an opportunity in the final XI will be competitive, but if called upon the quick is confident she can rise to the challenge.

"I feel like I’m getting there, I don’t know if I’ll ever 100 per cent be there, but I’m going to try my best if (a game for Australia) ever comes again."

CommBank T20I and ODI series

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry*, Megan Schutt, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Belinda Vakarewa *subject to fitness

New Zealand squad: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Natalie Dodd, Deanna Doughty, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jenson, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu, Jess Watkin

All matches to be played at Brisbane's Allan Border Field, times TBC

September 26: First T20 

September 27: Second T20

September 30: Third T20

October 3: First ODI

October 5: Second ODI

October 7: Third ODI