Australia captain Alyssa Healy has made it clear that her side will not be experimenting with their lineup as they head into the three-match series against New Zealand.
Both teams are using this series as a crucial warm-up ahead of the T20 World Cup, but while Australia is focused on fielding their strongest XI, New Zealand is looking to recover from a disastrous tour of England.
Australia last played in April, during which they experimented with their lineup in Bangladesh, such as opening with Grace Harris and batting Georgia Wareham at No. 3. However, with the World Cup looming, Healy stressed that the time for experimentation is over.
On the eve of the opening match in Mackay, Healy confirmed that Australia would be putting forward their best possible team. “I think when you look at our side as a whole, we’ve been pretty settled in the T20 game for a long period of time,” Healy said on Wednesday. “Bangladesh was a good opportunity for us to try a few things… but now, having some consistency around our XI leading into a World Cup is key.”
The upcoming series serves as preparation for the World Cup, which starts on October 3 in the UAE, and Healy is aware that conditions in Mackay differ significantly from those in Dubai. Nevertheless, she emphasized the importance of playing their best XI at every opportunity. “You still use all 15 players I find in a World Cup to win it, but everyone knows their roles.”
Australia’s lineup could see the much-anticipated pairing of Darcie Brown and Tayla Vlaeminck, two of the fastest female bowlers in the world, for the first time at the international level. Both have struggled with injuries, but Healy is excited about the prospect. “It creates some dilemmas for us, but at the same time, it’s really exciting… having that option is huge for us.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Sophie Devine is looking for her team to regroup after losing eight straight matches, including five T20Is, during their tour of England. The White Ferns have lost seven T20Is in a row and nine of their last 10 matches this year. Despite these setbacks, Devine remains optimistic, “We certainly took plenty of learnings away from that, and we’ve had a number of camps where we’ve addressed where we went wrong.”
Devine is also excited to welcome back pace bowler Rosemary Mair, who missed the England tour due to a back injury. Mair brings a unique pace and bounce to New Zealand’s attack, which Devine believes will be a valuable asset in both Australian and the UAE conditions. “She’s someone that attacks the stumps… We’re really looking forward to seeing what she can do.”
Both captains expressed their satisfaction with the ICC’s announcement that the prize money for the Women’s T20 World Cup has been raised to match the men’s fund. “Really cool,” Healy said, calling it “an amazing opportunity for the women’s game.”
As Australia aims for consistency and New Zealand strives to regain form, this series promises to be a crucial test for both teams in their final preparations for the World Cup.
