Issy Wong

Isabelle Eleanor Chih Ming Wong (born 15 May 2002) is an English cricketer who currently plays for Warwickshire, Southern Brave and England as a fast-medium bowler. She has previously played for Central Sparks, Southern Vipers in the Women's Cricket Super League, Mumbai Indians in Women's Premier League and Sydney Thunder in the Women's Big Bash League. She made her debut for England in June 2022.

Early life and education Wong was born in Chelsea, London, England. Her mother, Rachael, a freelance writer on cricket-related topics, is a native of Yorkshire. Her father, Dom, has Macanese ancestry, and a close connection with Hong Kong.

Two of Wong's great-uncles played international cricket for the Hong Kong men's team. Only after Wong took up cricket did her family discover that he had also been a talented batting all-rounder, who, aged 17, had been the youngest cricketer to represent Hong Kong. After the war, she was decorated with the United Kingdom's highest civilian wartime award, the King's Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom.

At the age of five, Wong moved with her family from London to Warwickshire. At the age of six, she became involved in an after-school Chance to Shine cricket scheme run by the school, as one of just two girls in a group of 50 boys. She was soon besotted with the game. In 2022, she and Lauren Bell became the first full Chance to Shine participants to play for England.

Wong also took up a suggestion of her after-school coaches by joining the local Knowle and Dorridge Cricket Club at the end of her street. At that club, she was the only girl in a team of boys. Between 2015 and 2020, Wong attended Shrewsbury School.

In 2017, Wong was part of the near-capacity crowd of spectators at the Women's Cricket World Cup Final. In 2018, she was selected for the School Games National Cricket Finals, and in 2019, she became the first girl to play for Shrewsbury School's Boys 1st XI. She was the youngest player in the competition, and made three appearances in the tournament. She made three appearances in the tournament, as she was limited by her England playing commitments. In a match against North West Thunder, Wong took three wickets, which helped reduce Thunder to 18/4. She finished the match with figures of 3/26, including 47 dot balls, and was named player of the match. Wong was selected to play for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred; the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Wong was retained by Phoenix for the 2021 season.

Wong was the third-highest wicket-taker in the 2021 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, with 14 wickets including taking 5/49 against Northern Diamonds. She also took 6 wickets at an average of 32.00 in The Hundred for Birmingham Phoenix.

In October 2021, it was announced that Wong had signed for Sydney Thunder for the upcoming WBBL07 season, as a replacement for the injured Shabnim Ismail. Later that month, in a profile published in The Sydney Morning Herald to introduce her to Australians, her father was quoted as saying that "... with her attitude, she's more like an Aussie ... She really gets stuck in. She's never beaten."

In April 2022, she was signed by the Birmingham Phoenix for the 2022 season of The Hundred. In August 2022, it was announced that she was moving from Sydney Thunder to Hobart Hurricanes for the upcoming Big Bash season. However, she was later forced to withdraw due to injury. Wong signed for the Mumbai Indians for the inaugural season of the Women's Premier League (WPL). In March 2023, she became the first person to take a hat-trick in the WPL.

In May 2024, it was announced that Wong had joined Western Storm on loan from Central Sparks for the 2024 Charlotte Edwards Cup. Her loan was later extended until the end of July.

International career In 2019, Wong played for the England Academy in a match against Australia A. She was added to the England Academy squad for the 2019/20 season. She was a nets bowler for the England players ahead of their series against the West Indies, In January 2021, Wong travelled with the England squad for their series against New Zealand but was not part of the playing squad.

In December 2021, Wong was named in England's A squad for their tour to Australia, with the matches being played alongside the Women's Ashes. In June 2022, Wong was named as a travelling reserve in England's Women's Test squad for their one-off match against South Africa. She was then added to the squad for the Test match, after Emily Arlott did not recover from COVID-19. She made her Test debut on 27 June 2022, for England against South Africa. On 2 July 2022, Wong was also named in England's Women's One Day International (WODI) squad for their matches against South Africa. She made her WODI debut on 15 July 2022, also for England against South Africa, and took three wickets in her debut match. Later the same month, she was named in England's team for the cricket tournament at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. Wong made her Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) debut on 21 July 2022, also during England's home series against South Africa. In November 2022, Wong was awarded with her first England central contract.

Personal life Wong's second favourite sport is association football. She and her family are fans of Liverpool Football Club. She also supports NBA basketball team the Golden State Warriors.

She is also a National U21 and U25 champion Eton fives player and has represented North Oxford EFC in the national league.

Off the sporting field, Wong's favourite film is the Disney production Cars; when she first played in the Women's Cricket Super League, she chose the shirt number 95, as a reference to the racing number of Lightning McQueen.