Danielle Gibson wants to get back to playing again

Danielle Gibson, who played for Western Storm in the Women’s Cricket Super League (WCSL), is looking forward to return to the domestic game. Gibson signed a retainer contract with the newly formed Western Storm, based in the South West and Wales, as part of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s newly structured Women’s Elite Domestic competition.



Gibson represented Western Storm in 13 matches during the run of WCSL, but an unfortunate knuckle injury ended her 2019 season prematurely during the first match of the season.



“I just want to be able to get back to playing again,” she said.



“My second season with Storm I bowled quite a lot and performed well. I want to get back being comfortable in my body and not having to worry about any injuries.”



“For the team, I just want to put Western Storm’s name back on the grid as one of the best squads out there, if not the best.”



The 19-year-old Gibson talked about her experiences during the WCSL and how training with the best players in the world at Storm helped her game. “For working on my bowling, it was very helpful having Anya Shrubsole on my team. I am a seamer as well, so it was great having her to share some knowledge and see how she prepares for games.”



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“Having England captain Heather Knight as my captain was amazing. She helped me with my field placements and was there when I was struggling with my bowling. She would just be there for you and talk to you about how you can get through tough periods.”



“Bowling against Smriti Mandhana was honestly impossible. It makes you realise how much harder it gets the further in the game you go and you’ve got to be so switched on tactically as well as technically. It was always a great challenge.”



Western Storm ended the league as the most successful team in the competition finishing as the champions twice in four years.



“I think Western Storm will always be one of the names that people associate with being one of the best teams in women’s cricket,” Gibson said. “Although, it will be a completely different setup this year with two extra teams involved and a new look squad with some different players, so we will need to re-establish ourselves at the top again.”



Gibson, who scored 98 runs from six matches for Wales with a top score of 57 in the 2019 Royal London One Day Cup, wants to improve her batting when she returns to the game.



“I am quite happy with my bowling and fielding but when it comes to my batting, I would like to be able to stick out there for a long innings and make better decisions in the process,” she added.



“I am an aggressive batter who sometimes struggles to be calm and simply defend the wicket. So being able to play a calm innings would be one of the best things I could learn.”



https://open.spotify.com/episode/7cSrEZYTaoVMAnwdfxVB19