Wareham eager for more in new pinch hitter role

Georgia Wareham admits she was nervous about her new 'pinch hitter' role ahead of the second Bangladesh T20I – but the success of the experiment means it is unlikely to be a one-off.

Wareham struck her first international half-century after being promoted to No.3 for the game in Dhaka, blitzing the Bangladesh attack with 57 from 30 balls.

The leg-spinner has been steadily building her allrounder credentials since returning from a serious knee injury at the start of last year, via a handful of explosive late-innings cameos down the order.

But her sudden ascension from No.8 to first drop still came as something of a surprise, with Australia looking to experiment – and work out how to get the most out of their ultra-deep batting line-up – as they plan for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh later this year.

"Shell floated it when we first got to Bangladesh ... about playing a bit of a pinch hitter role, but it didn't really fully register until that first T20I," Wareham told cricket.com.au on Wednesday.

"It's about extending the order and making sure we can optimise the Powerplay and make the most of that.

"I was very nervous about it, I don't think I've ever really properly batted in the Powerplay before, apart from Big Bash and even then I was still probably batting at seven.

"It was cool, there was a lot of trust and faith and thrown in by the coaches.

"I was told to just play the way that I normally would (if I was batting) at the end, take the game on and play with a little bit of freedom.

"My natural game is to look to score, look to hit boundaries … my role is not to bat the innings out, but just take the bowlers on and put some pressure on them and if I get a few boundaries away that's fine and if not, the proper batters are coming in (after me)."

Wareham was listed at No.5 on the team sheet on Tuesday, but she was sent out at No.3 when opener Phoebe Litchfield was dismissed in the third over.

Her innings came at a strike rate of 190 but was no slugfest – it featured 10 fours but no sixes, as the Victorian brilliantly drove, cut and pulled the Bangladesh attack on her way to a 26-ball fifty.

Whether Australia continue the experiment in Thursday's final T20I, or test out another plan altogether, remains to be seen.

But Wareham said she would happily take any chance she got to bat in the Powerplay.

"The line-up change is just a good opportunity for us all to bat in some different positions that we might get the opportunity to do in the World Cup coming up and just yet experience that in some different conditions over here and see what works, what doesn't and just find a few different formulas that could potentially work when we come back here next," she said.

"It was good fun, it was a good shake up and hopefully I'll get the opportunity to do something like that again."

Australia's spin attack has enjoyed a successful tour, with Wareham, Sophie Molineux, Ashleigh Gardner and Alana King taking 28 wickets between them across the three ODIs and two T20Is to date.

Spin is expected to play a significant role in the T20 World Cup later this year, and Wareham said she was thoroughly enjoying the conditions.

"It's been pretty fun to be able to work with the spin group, with Dan Marsh and Ash and Kingy and Soph," Wareham said.

"Soph's been unbelievable and it's pretty easy at the other end to just try and keep it tight.

"The communication we have out there as a spin group and just to be able to hand over the ball to the spinner up the other end and building those partnerships is pretty cool.

"It's no secret that spin's going to play a massive role for the World Cup so it's just finding out what works best for each of us."

Australia will aim to complete an undefeated tour in Thursday's final T20I, but despite comfortably winning all five matches to date, Wareham said they felt they had yet to put out a complete performance.

For the 14-player squad, that game will mark the end of a busy season that started against the West Indies in September, with almost constant cricket since including the Weber WBBL, a multi-format tour of India, a home series against South Africa and the WPL.

For those who played in The Hundred, there has been almost non-stop cricket since Australia departed for the Ashes early last June.

The players will now have a period of annual leave following the third T20I, and while pre-season training will ramp up from May, their next international engagement is not until mid-September, when Australia will host New Zealand in Queensland.

"We just want to finish on a really good note, we still haven't quite played that perfect game yet and you always strive to play that perfect game, just putting all aspects together," Wareham said.

"To come over here in really different conditions than we're used to and go six out of six would be really cool, and to hopefully finish on a high note before the end of the season, which has been a pretty long one for us."

CommBank Tour of Bangladesh

First ODI: Australia won by 118 runs

Second ODI: Australia won by six wickets

Third ODI: Australia won by eight wickets

First T20I: Australia won by 10 wickets

Second T20I: Australia won by 58 runs

April 4: Third T20I, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (5:00pm AEDT)

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck

Bangladesh squad: Nigar Sultana (c), Nahida Akter (vc), Fargana Hoque, Murshida Khatun, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Sultana Khatun, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Disha Biswas, Sumaiya Akter, Nishita Akter Nishi, Farzana Akter, Rabeya Khan