Her name might suggest a long road ahead but former Hong Kong cricketer Natasha Miles is on the verge of making it big in England and convincing officials she should be part of the country's long-term plans.
Miles, who might have been an oddball in Hong Kong cricket- by virtue of playing with the men in a bid to find a level of competition more on par with her game- was 'surprised' when she was called up to join the England Women's A academy in Loughborough this winter.
'To be honest, I was very surprised, and of course extremely happy when I heard I had been included in the England A academy,' said the 22-year-old Miles, a former Hong Kong representative and Hong Kong Cricket Club stalwart. In her first game for England A, Miles took two for 12 from eight overs of right-arm medium pace. It was enough to convince the England A management the former 'MCC Young Cricketer' had the qualities needed to tough it out on the international stage.
'I took those wickets against the England Moderate Learning Difficulties men's side and we did win the match,' Miles said. 'I think as a bowler you're always happy to take wickets. That's your job so it's always a great feeling.'
And that warm feeling turned to outright joy when Miles heard she had been called up to the academy at Loughborough as an all-rounder where she will prepare for an England A tour of South Africa next April.
It has been a long journey from Hong Kong, but the days when she played in the local leagues for HKCC at Wong Nai Chung Gap Road will always be treasured as it was here as a teenager that she learned the finer arts of the game. Miles represented Hong Kong on a tour of Pakistan in 2006 but then made herself unavailable for international duty as she ambitiously sought a place with England, her other home.