Rising cricket star Odgers taking inspiration from Taylor and Stokes

Cornwall cricketer Bex Odgers hopes channelling inspiration from Ben Stokes at this month's T20 World Cup can help fire her towards the women's international spotlight.

The St. Austell ace, 19, has played cricket since childhood after taking up the sport at primary school and is watching intently as action in Australia kicked off this week.

And with England looking to avenge last year's semi-final loss to New Zealand, Odgers - who plays for Cornwall and Western Storm - believes all-rounder and Test captain Stokes can help drive his country to glory.

"I'm so excited, it's going to be amazing," said Odgers, who benefits from financial support from Boost Drinks - a company born over 20 years ago with a vision of energising everybody in every way and is committed to supporting its local communities, whether this be fuelling them with its range of Sports, Energy, Iced Coffee, and Protein Drinks, or by getting more involved to help them achieve their goal.

"England have got to be up there. The Aussies will give us a good go, but I think we've got it this year. I reckon we're favourites.

"Ben Stokes always pulls it out the bag on big occasions. It's happened more than once, so if we need someone to do something magical it's going to be him."

SportsAid supports over 1,000 athletes each year - in the early stages of their career - by providing them with a financial award to help towards training and competition costs.

This acts as a real motivational boost as it is often the first recognition they receive outside of their support network, with most of them relying heavily on their parents as they have no other funding.

These athletes are Great Britain's brightest sporting prospects, nominated to SportsAid by the national governing bodies of more than 60 sports based on set criteria from each.

The typical value of a SportsAid award is £1,000 with money generated through a combination of commercial partnerships, trust and charitable funds, and fundraising activities.

The sponsorship is a fairly new concept for Odgers, who has only been supported by SportsAid and Boost Drinks for a handful of months.

The Cornwall star herself holds ambitions to one day represent her country on cricket's biggest stages as she looks to continue rising up the ranks.

And with the profile of women's cricket growing every day, she hopes that she soon gets the chance to make her mark.

Odgers added: "It's been amazing.

"The Rachel Heyhoe-Flint Trophy and The Hundred, they've been so influential to the wider public and I think people are starting to realise now that women's sport isn't boring, it's just different.

"There's nothing worse about it than men's sport, it's just a different sport.

"Sarah Taylor was always my childhood idol. I thought she was amazing and when I got a bit older and she was struggling with her mental health, I thought it was really good to see her open up about that online and on social media, and really inspire others to not be afraid to as well.

"My main goal is to play for England, that's always been the goal. When that happens I don't know - I don't know what the rate of progression is going to be like, but England is the goal. It's just stepping stones."

Boost Drinks provides young athletes with financial support, recognition, and personal development opportunities through its partnership with SportsAid. Each athlete receives a £1,000 award which contributes towards costs such as travel, accommodation, and equipment - for more information visit www.boostdrinks.com

Sportsbeat 2022