‘It's about the role you play and taking the ego out of it’ – Villani

So dominant have Australia been in Twenty20 Internationals in recent times that Villani, one of their best and most experienced batters, hasn’t really had much to do.

She scored 50* in a winning cause in the second T20I against New Zealand on 1 October, but has had to bat just twice more in five games since then. She hasn’t done badly, scoring 18* and 24* against Pakistan, both at well over a run a ball.

Villani is used to batting at the top of the order, but with Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning and Ashleigh Gardner doing well, she has dropped down to the middle.

“I feel I've had a quiet tour to be honest, our top order did the job in the Pakistan series in Malaysia and I got a bit of pad rash on the side,” said Villani on the sidelines of the Australian team’s warm-up fixtures in the Caribbean ahead of the ICC Women’s World T20 2018.

“I think I'm in a pretty good place, all the batters in a good space and the squad's looking really strong at the moment, so I think it's about just staying patient and waiting for the opportunities that will come along in the tournament and not getting too antsy on the sidelines.”

With the firepower in the line-up, some players have had to let go of their favoured batting positions, and Villani has taken it sportingly, despite an average of 30.36 and strike rate of 118.65 from 56 T20Is.

“In the last 12 months, we've really realised it's about the role you play and taking the ego out of it and making sure whatever role you've been given in the team, that's what you're committing to 100 per cent,” she said.

Australia are the top-ranked T20I – and one-day international – side, and one of the favourites to lift the big trophy come 24 November. If they do, they would have won the title a whopping four times. And players like Villani and Ellyse Perry, the experienced hands in the middle order, might have to play big parts at various stages in the Caribbean to make that happen.

“We've probably got eight people in the team who'd love to open the batting but it's a job for two people and they've been doing it exceptionally well. The other roles we've been given are really important and we know at times during the tournament the buck's going to fall to us at some stage, so it's about remaining patient and making sure we're ready to go," agreed Villani.

Their next warm-up game is against South Africa in Guyana on Tuesday, 6 November, and then they get their campaign in the main tournament off to a start on 9 November against Pakistan.