Sophia Dunkley is an English cricketer who plays for the England women’s cricket team. In county cricket, she played for Middlesex till 2020 when she joined Surrey. On 16 June 2021, she became the first black woman to play Test cricket for England. In 2023, she was bought by the franchise team Gujarat Giants for the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL).
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Sophia Ivy Rose Dunkley was born on Thursday, 16 July 1998 (age 25 years; as of 2023) in Lambeth, Greater London, England. Her zodiac sign is Cancer.
Childhood picture of Sophia Dunkley
She grew up as an only child in a single-parent family, with her mother, in north London. She used to play football at the beginning and was introduced to cricket by her neighbour Zak Carr. Talking about her unconventional route into cricket, in an interview, she said,
He was one of my best friends growing up. We used to live in a cul-de-sac so we were able to play outside. We both joined a club together, a boys’ club, and it just stemmed from there.”
Then, Carr took Dunkley to Finchley Cricket Club for cricket training with him, where she began her fledgling career in the club’s boys’ teams. At the time, Dunkley was unaware of women’s cricket. She discovered women’s cricket when someone suggested that she should go for Middlesex girls’ under-11 trials. In 2009, her mother’s connections with people at Mill Hill School helped her to get a sports scholarship there. Later, she played as the only girl in the first XI with the boys at Mill Hill. [1]Mill Hill She pursued a sports science degree at Loughborough University. [2]The Guardian
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 3″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family & Ethnicity
She is a black woman. [3]The Guardian
Parents & Siblings
Sophia Dunkley’s mother, Caroline, is a music artist manager and booking agent. Dunkley is an only child who was solely raised by her mother.
Sophia Dunkley with her mother
Husband
She is unmarried.
Career
Domestic
She played at Finchley Cricket Club and went through the youth pathways before joining Middlesex’s team. She entered the Middlesex County system in the Under 11 age group and played through the age groups till Under 19. At 14, she made her county debut for Middlesex in a match against Sussex during the 2012 Women’s Twenty20 Cup. She made two runs and bowled two overs for no wicket in the match. After hitting 323 runs in Middlesex Women’s opening four Women’s County Championship matches, Dunkley won the Middlesex Women’s Sunshine Garden Centre Most Valuable Player Award of the 2019 season.
Sophia Dunkley receiving cash prize after becoming Middlesex Women’s Sunshine Garden Centre Most Valuable Player Award of the 2019 season
She was the leading run-scorer of the 2019 Women’s County Championship with 451 runs. In 2020, she left Middlesex to play for Surrey. She played for Surrey Stars in the 2016, 2017, and 2018 Women’s Cricket Super League (WCSL) (also known as the Kia Super League (KSL)) and for Lancashire Thunder in the 2019 season. The 2018 WCSL was her best season in which she took 6 wickets and scored 98 runs, including scoring 66 against Southern Vipers. She also claimed a wicket in the tournament final against Loughborough Lightning, contributing to Surrey Stars winning the title.
Surrey Stars team posing after winning the 2018 Kia Super League (KSL)
She played for the South East Stars in the 2020 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. She played for Southern Brave for the 2021 and 2022 seasons of The Hundred.
Sophia Dunkley in action for Southern Brave
International
On 12 November 2018, she made her T20I debut against Bangladesh at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia. She was named to England’s squad for the 2018 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in which her side emerged as runners-up after Australia beat them by 8 wickets. In February 2019, Dunkley was named to England’s squad for the tours of India and Sri Lanka; she picked up her first international wicket in the 2nd Twenty20 against Sri Lanka.
Sophia Dunkley during a match
Dunkley was awarded her first central contract with the England women’s cricket team in June 2021. On 16 June 2021, she made her Test debut against India at County Ground, Bristol, becoming the first Black woman to represent England in Test cricket. On 27 June 2021, she made her ODI debut against India at County Ground, Bristol. In the following match, she scored her first half-century in WODIs. In February 2021, Dunkley was named to England’s squad for their tour of New Zealand where she played all three T20Is and scored 26 off 29 in the final match of the series, helping England win by 32 runs. Dunkley was named in England’s squad for their tour to Australia to contest the Women’s Ashes in December 2021. She was part of England’s squad which emerged as runner-up at the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.
Sophia Dunkley in action for England during the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup
With 107 runs, Dunkley scored her first century in the second WODI match against South Africa in July 2022. Thereafter, she was named to England’s team for the cricket tournament at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
Women’s T20 Challenge
She played for Trailblazers in the 2022 Women’s T20 Challenge.
Women’s Premier League
In 2023, she was bought by the franchise team Gujarat Giants for the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL). Dunkley smashed the fastest half-century off 18 deliveries in the WPL against Royal Challengers Bangalore
Sophia Dunkley playing for Gujarat Giants
Awards
- PCA Vitality IT20 Women’s Player of the Summer (2022)
Sophia Dunkley posing with her PCA Vitality IT20 Women’s Player of the Summer (2022)
Facts/Trivia
- She is a right-handed batter and right-arm leg break bowler.
- Her jersey number for England is #47.
- She occasionally consumes alcoholic beverages.
Sophia Dunkley (third from left) enjoying a glass of champagne after winning PCA Vitality IT20 Women’s Player of the Summer (2022)
References
| ↑1 | Mill Hill |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | The Guardian |
| ↑3 | The Guardian |
