The reigning T20 World Cup champions, New Zealand, will be keen to replicate their performance from the UAE last year and take it to India and Sri Lanka in the 50-over Women’s World Cup and challenge for a spot in the semi-finals.
New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine tipped co-hosts India and Sri Lanka and the defending champions Australia, to be tough opponents at the upcoming Women’s World Cup. Devine, who will be playing the World Cup as her final ODI assignment, mentioned that starting against Australia, who are always a tough side to come up against, would keep them in good stead for the rest of the tournament.
“Every team will possess a different challenge, but we know the defending champions Australia, are going to be pretty tough to beat. Playing them first up will be a great start to the tournament,” Devine wrote in her column for ICC. Devine also heaped praise on India’s depth and Sri Lanka’s strength in familiar conditions, saying that they can’t be taken lightly either.
“India at home are also a huge threat, in terms of the support that they have and the depth of their group, and Sri Lanka as well, we’ve seen that playing at home is a real strength for them. Those three teams are certainly going to be difficult to come up against, she further added.
The 36-year-old expressed her excitement with the young group at her disposal and was keen to use the tournament experience from the T20 World Cup triumph last year to good effect in the 50-over competition, which will be a bigger fish to fry.
“Everyone’s been putting in the hard yards which has been pleasing to see. The likes of our younger ones, in Eden Carson and Izzy Gaze, they’ve really stepped into their own, having been involved with the White Ferns for a couple of years now. I’m excited to see what they will bring to the tournament,” she further added while mentioning how crucial the veterans Maddy Green and Brooke Halliday will be to this line-up.
New Zealand begin their challenge on October 1 in Indore against Australia, but will take on India A in a couple of warm-up fixtures on September 25 and 27.