WA keeper-batter is hoping to translate her stunning Australia A form into a big WBBL season
Tristan Lavalette04-Oct-2024A naturally aggressive batter and technician behind the stumps, Maddy Darke has for some time been touted as a potential successor to Australia captain Alyssa Healy.The symbolism was evident five years ago when Darke, only 18 at the time, made her WBBL debut for Sydney Sixers and received her cap from Healy, who she had modelled her attacking batting and glove work on.But it’s been a tough journey living up to those expectations and she moved to Western Australia in 2021 to ignite her career. Darke’s WA coaches have worked hard on building up her confidence and belief that she absolutely belongs at the professional level.Having shown glimpses over the years, Darke, 23, might be putting it all together after scoring eye-catching centuries recently for Australia A in the multi-format series against India A in Queensland.In tough batting conditions against the red ball on the Gold Coast, Darke lifted Australia out of trouble at 94 for 5 in their second innings of the four-day fixture with an unbeaten 105 off 197 balls from No.6.She took heed from the messaging from her WA batting coach Wes Robinson, a concise communicator, who implores her to “keep it really simple and let your technique do the talking”.
“If I could one day play for Australia, I’d absolutely love the chance. For me, not knowing when that opportunity would arise, it’s just about improving my wicketkeeping and batting while also trying to be a better teammate. Hopefully that takes care of things.”Maddy Darke
She batted superbly with the lower order, running hard between the wickets to frustrate India A. Darke unleashed several attractive strokes through the covers, but it was mostly a gritty innings that proved the difference in Australia’s eventual 45-run victory.”I was really pleased because four-day cricket is a real test of your mental capacity as well as your physical skill-set,” Darke told ESPNcricinfo. “Being able to grind through a few sessions with the tail is something that I’m not really accustomed to.”I’m really, really pleased with how the whole series went and to get as many runs as I did,” she added, having also scored 106 in the second one-dayer.Darke, nicknamed ‘Bondi’ due to her affinity with the famous Sydney beach, has not carried her momentum into the start of the domestic season having scored just 49 runs from three innings to start the Women’s National Cricket League.Self-doubt could once again creep in, but working closely with Robinson and WA coach Becky Grundy has helped her feel more at ease.”She [Grundy] tells me to just trust that my game is more than good enough to do well at any level,” Darke said. “I think that is something that I really try to keep in mind because she wouldn’t be telling me that if she didn’t actually believe in me.”I’m trusting my strengths and recognising when I’m doing things really well to keep trying to do them and not get distracted or caught up in what other players are doing.”To see a bit more evidence of that on the field with runs in the India series, really, really helps build my confidence.”Darke has also been working hard with the gloves as shown in her solid efforts behind the stumps against India A, where she admitted to feeling “exhausted” by the end of the four-day game. While adept at keeping to pace and spin, she’s more comfortable being up to the stumps.”It’s actually been a bit of a focus to make sure I’m not neglecting keeping back and working on being in really good positions to move laterally and dive,” Darke said.Maddy Darke drives through the offside•Getty ImagesShe’s learned “different techniques” from veteran Beth Mooney and England wicketkeeper Amy Jones, her Perth Scorchers teammates, while WA wicketkeeping coach Damon Rowan regularly puts her through the same drills as men’s counterparts Josh Inglis and Baxter Holt.Darke was left almost awestruck the first time she trained alongside Inglis, who has become Australia’s No.1 wicketkeeper in white-ball cricket. “He’s amazing, so quick, so powerful,” she gushed to Rowan at the time.Darke closely studied Inglis’ technique up at the stumps. “He moved so late, but he’s so quick to the ball. I was actually taken aback,” she recalled. “He’s so explosive and powerful. That’s what I want to get to, but I’ll have to chip away at that over the years.”He has played all over the world, so it’s a great opportunity to build my knowledge and learn from him.”It’s been a slow start to the domestic season for Darke and WA, who are winless after their opening three WNCL matches. But if Darke can rediscover her Australia A form, as a potential WBBL breakout looms, then talk of being Healy’s heir apparent will go into overdrive.”I’ve definitely got my eye on that spot whenever it would become available. If I could one day play for Australia, I’d absolutely love the chance,” she said.”For me, not knowing when that opportunity would arise, it’s just about improving my wicketkeeping and batting while also trying to be a better teammate. Hopefully that takes care of things.”
