COVERED SPRING 2021

COVERED 30 TRENTBRIDGE.CO.UK next steps would open her eyes to a whole new way of training. With the Kia Super League growing in stature, more and more of the world’s best players were enjoying a summer sojourn on the British Isles. They included Australia’s Ellyse Perry, New Zealand’s Sophie Devine and South Africa’s Dane van Nierkerk, all of whom Higham rubbed shoulders with as part of the Loughborough Lightning squad. “Salliann Beams brought me in to the training squad and I was in awe,” says Higham. “I was so excited to be able to train alongside them and see the attitudes of those players. “Perry’s influence, her work ethic and how she went about her business really rubbed off on me. “For years, she’s just been so committed in everything she does, especially in the field. “Her and Lydia Greenway are two people who I look up to for their fielding abilities. “Lydia was one of the best fielders England has ever seen, just in the way she covered the ground and the catches she took. “Women’s cricket has taken massive strides forward in the past five to ten years and the athleticism has stepped up a notch.” There she goes, enthusing about the overlooked art of fielding once again. In 2019, Higham – now a fully-fledged member of the Lightning clan – was denied the opportunity to showcase her skills at Trent Bridge, owing to injury. However in 2020, for all its trials, (“it was really difficult but it was probably the fittest I had ever been as we turned our Uni house garage into a gym”), she did achieve the goal of stepping out onto the hallowed turf. “Being able to get out ontoTrent Bridge has definitely been a highlight of my career so far,” she says. “I personally didn’t have the best summer with the bat, but I was constantly reminding myself of how fortunate I was. “We didn’t know what was round the corner, how long we’d be dealing with the pandemic or what the winter was going to look like. It was all about enjoying the moment.” Higham’s youthful exuberance is evident in the way she speaks about the sport and her ambitions within it. “Representing my country is the top of my priority list,” she says. “I’d love to head to Australia and play Big Bash or state cricket in the future. “However, pulling on an England shirt would definitely be the pinnacle.” The question barely needed asking. And, after how far she’s come in the cauldron of women’s cricket to date, you wouldn’t put anything past her. “WOMEN’S CRICKET HAS TAKEN MASSIVE STRIDES FORWARD IN THE PAST FIVE TO TEN YEARS AND THE ATHLETICISM HAS STEPPED UP A NOTCH.” Lucy Higham