Thunder keep faith in Wilson as Jones touches down

When Amy Jones makes her Sydney Thunder debut against the Hobart Hurricanes this evening, do not expect to see the England wicketkeeper-batter standing behind the stumps.

Local 'keeper Tahlia Wilson will keep the gloves this season, with the Thunder's English coach Trevor Griffin opting to back in the 22-year-old to continue doing the job she has performed since the start of WBBL|06.

Wilson is part of a crop of up-and-coming young wicketkeepers aged under 25, alongside Melbourne Stars' Nicole Faltum, Renegade Josie Dooley, Scorcher Maddy Darke and the Hurricane's Emma Manix-Geeves.

Griffin handed down lavish praise when confirming Wilson would keep ahead of Jones over the weekend, describing her as the competition's best keeper across the past three seasons – high praise against competition that also includes Australia wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney and Georgia Redmayne.

"There's been a bit said about Tahlia 'keeping for us when we have one of the best in the world joining us in Amy Jones, but, for me, Tahlia has been the best wicketkeeper in the WBBL for the last three years," Griffin said.

"She showed that again on a difficult wicket against the Hurricanes – she was tidy behind the stumps – and I've enjoyed watching her progression."

Jones has been a late arrival to Weber WBBL|08, required to take a break at the end of England's home summer as the England and Wales Cricket Board manage player workloads, but has now linked up with her new teammates in Sydney and was named in the Thunder's squad for Tuesday's game against the Hurricanes.

She will provide class and experience to the Thunder batting line-up, as they hunt their first win of the season following losses to Hobart and the Scorchers.

This is not the first time the England star has been exiled to the outfield while playing in the WBBL, during her last season as a Scorcher in 2020 it was Mooney who kept wicket.

Speaking to cricket.com.au on the eve of the season, Wilson was chuffed with the confidence displayed in her by Griffin.

She is also keen to work closely with Jones, who she spent time with previously at Sydney Sixers during WBBL|02.

"It's awesome to have Amy Jones on board, she's obviously a world-class better and a 'keeper, so for Trev to have that faith in me after the last couple of years keeping for him, I think that really makes me feel good about my keeping," Wilson said.

"To have her here and be able to learn off her for the next six to seven weeks, I really can't wait for that opportunity."

Wilson scored her first domestic one-day century for New South Wales on the eve of the Big Bash season, reaching triple figures for the first time alongside fellow Thunder young gun Phoebe Litchfield.

She has top-scored for the Thunder in both their WBBL|08 matches to date, posting scores of 26 and 28 in difficult batting conditions in two low-scoring games at Blacktown International Sportspark.

"All preseason I worked on my game from last year and being able to put it into practice in our trial matches was good," Wilson said.

"But taking that next step and putting it into practice in the WNCL can sometimes be a bit tough, so being able of reap the reward there (scoring a century against Western Australia) definitely made me feel really good about how I prepared in the preseason."

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