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It’s been a bittersweet week for Tahlia Wilson.
On Thursday morning, the New South Wales wicketkeeper was named WNCL player of the year after a record-breaking summer, which included 677 runs at 60.63 and 14 dismissals with the gloves. However, less than 24 hours earlier, she had missed selection for Australia’s T20 tour of New Zealand, with Victorian wicketkeeper Nicole Faltum earning a maiden call-up in Alyssa Healy’s absence.
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With the injury-prone Healy approaching the twilight of her international career, Australia has commenced its search for the veteran’s eventual successor, with Wilson, Faltum and Maddy Darke among the leading candidates.
During a virtual press conference on Wednesday, Australian selector Shawn Flegler explained that Faltum got the nod courtesy of her Women’s Big Bash League heroics; the 25-year-old led the Melbourne Renegades to a maiden WBBL title earlier this summer after compiling 136 runs at 27.20 with a strike rate of 134.65.
Wilson, meanwhile, struggled throughout her campaign with the Sydney Thunder, accumulating 115 runs at 12.77 with a strike rate of 83.94.
“It was a tight call to be honest,” Flegler said.
“We just thought it was a really great opportunity to see Nic around the team in that environment. It’s really unlikely that she’ll play — obviously Beth (Mooney) will take the gloves during this tour, and she did a really good job during the Ashes.
“(Wilson) has had a great year in WNCL in particular. Her WBBL numbers weren’t as strong, and that’s where we see Nic slightly ahead with the T20s.”
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Wilson vowed to continue pushing her case for higher honours despite being overlooked for the New Zealand tour.
“Nic’s had a pretty good season as well, and I’m sure the race was pretty tight between the both of us,” Wilson said.
“If I can keep scoring runs and taking some nice ones behind the stumps, then I’m going to be in good stead to keep my name up there.”
Wilson also confirmed she hadn’t been contacted by national selectors for several months, declaring she would seek feedback on who to strengthen her chances in the future.
“I’m sure over the next few weeks, I will try and get in contact to see what’s going on,” she continued.
“Probably a few months ago now, I was in touch with Shawn Flegler around what my role is and where he sees me going into the future.
“It’s definitely all positive. I definitely think the race is tight, and Nic got the nod over me this time.”
Wilson, who is mentored by former Blues gloveman Daniel Smith, also believes that time is on her side — Healy celebrates her 35th birthday next month, while reserve wicketkeeper Mooney turned 31 earlier this year.
“I’ve been lucky that I’m a few years younger than someone like Georgia Redmayne, who has found it very difficult to break into the Aussie set-up,” she explained.
“I remember talking to Alyssa Healy last year, and she said, ‘You know what, you’re actually the prime age, because obviously I’m a little bit older than you …. just keep sticking at it, and you’ve probably come around at the right time.
“It’s awesome that I’m scoring runs now and that’s probably helping me stay on their radar, and hopefully that can continue.
“You never know, hopefully one day we make it.”
Wilson, the reigning Belinda Clark Medal recipient, tallied 26 votes for player of the WNCL, a tournament record, having notched two centuries and two fifties across the competition.
The right-hander’s tally of 677 runs currently ranks third for most runs in a WNCL campaign, sitting behind Elyse Villani’s 705 in 2022/23 and Nicola Carey’s 696 in 2023/24. She has a chance of snatching the record during this weekend’s WNCL final against Queensland in Brisbane.
Only two Breakers players have scored more hundreds in WNCL history — former Australian representatives Alex Blackwell and Rachael Haynes.
Earlier this summer, Wilson was also named player of the T20 Spring Challenge after cracking 163 runs at 54.33 for the Thunder.
“We’ve coined (Wilson) the term of ‘a cool, calm assassin’,” Breakers and Thunder teammate Anika Learoyd told reporters this week.
“She’s just such a collected player and the way she’s able to just go out there and show such composure, even in really high-pressure moments is really valuable, not only to Tahlia, but to our team as a whole.”
Tahlia Wilson of the Breakers. Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesMost runs during the 2024/25 WNCL
667 — Tahlia Wilson (NSW)
572 — Courtney Webb (SA)
543 — Maddy Darke (WA)
542 — Charli Knott (QLD)
497 — Anika Learoyd (NSW)
Wilson started her season with a stylish 97 against Queensland before cracking hundreds against the ACT Meteors (a career-best 142 in Sydney) and South Australia (an unbeaten 112 not out) in February.
“I definitely haven’t had a season like this that’s been so consistent, to be able to do that has been awesome,” Wilson said.
“At the start of the season, I would have liked to have converted a few more scores from the thirties and forties into bigger ones.
“But to finish the season how I have, if you had told me at the start of the season that’s how it would have gone, I would have taken it any day of the week.”
Wilson credited her success to a tempo adjustment in the 50-over format, specifically being more attacking during the Powerplay.
“That’s definitely reaped the rewards, not only for me, but for the team as well,” she continued.
“If I can get us off to a good start, that’s normally a good sign.
“Going out there and really trying to score from ball one has definitely helped me get off to a good start and have a good season.”
The Breakers, the WNCL’s perennial powerhouse, have not won a title since the 2018/19 season, while they haven’t featured in a season decider since 2020.
However, after placing sixth in 2022/23 and fifth last summer, the Breakers are one victory from ending their longest title drought in WNCL history.
“It would be awesome,” Wilson said.
“I was in the last (final) that we lost, but in our squad, I’m actually the only one that did play in that final.
“It would be nice for us to win this one and hopefully that gets us on another roll.”
The WNCL final between New South Wales and Queensland gets underway at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field on Sunday, with the first ball scheduled for 2.35pm AEDT.
The hosts will be missing young gun Georgia Voll, who has been signed by the UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League as a replacement player for Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu.
