Gaby Lewis says change in mindset key to her batting form in Super 50

“I haven’t really worked on anything extra this season, it’s just my mindset has changed,” Lewis told Cricket Ireland.

“I was a bit down after a long year and the winter in Australia – that possibly didn’t go the way I wanted it to on the field. But Ed (Joyce, head coach of Ireland) just kept saying to me to ‘stick at it, and it will come’ and to trust in the work that I was doing. Luckily, I seem to have come out on the other side, and hopefully I can continue to score runs for the remainder of the season.”

Lewis, who has played 55 internationals for Ireland, is currently the leading run-getter in the Super 50 series with 209 runs from three matches at an average of 69.66 at a strike rate of 79.46-including two fifties.

The 19-year-old was appointed the captain of the Scorchers side for the first time this season. She talked about how she is enjoying the captaincy and feels the experienced members of the side the have made her job easier.

“I am really enjoying the captaincy. I don’t feel the role has brought any extra pressure. Of course, to have the experience and support of Shauna Kavanagh and Louise McCarthy on the field really helps make it a lot easier,” Lewis said.

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“To be three wins out of four at the halfway mark, I’d definitely have taken that series score-line if you’d offered it at the outset. The team is going well and making progress every game. We’ve fielded exceptionally well in the last couple of games, and the young bowlers have really impressed me – Kate McEvoy particularly has been brilliant, and Louise McCarthy has bowled really well, especially in the last game.”

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Lewis, who made her debut for Ireland as a 13-year-old, scored her career best List A score of 95 in the fourth match of the competition. “I started slow, but managed to pick it up at the end,” she said while talking about the innings.

“We arrived at Oak Hill and found that the pitch was a bit soft - given the day’s forecast we thought it wouldn’t get any better, and if anything, it might rough up a bit. So, when we luckily won the toss, we decided to bat first.”

“Leah (Paul) and I discussed our approach with opening and thought we’d try stick out the early overs, and just see if the pitch played a little easier. As time went on, I got used to the pace of the pitch – and despite losing Leah early, I dug in and figured out how to play to conditions. Mainly, it was about waiting for the ball a little longer, because the pitch was a bit sticky. The Typhoons bowled well and I found it hard to get the ball away when it was on the stumps. Luckily, though, they began to bowl enough bad balls that I was able to put away, and I started to feel more confident,” she concluded.

Scorchers will again face Typhoons on September 6 for the fifth match of the series. Fifth and sixth matches have been shifted to Merrion Cricket Club and YMCA Cricket Club in Dublin from Oak Hill in Wicklow.