With ICC Women’s T20 World Cup qualifiers just around the corner, captains of participating teams spoke about their preparation and the mindset of their team for the mega-event.
In a press release by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Thailand’s captain Sornnarin Tippoch said, “It is always a good feeling to be involved in a T20 World Cup Qualification tournament. We have been in this position so many times which makes our efforts to qualify for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup a lot stronger. We have trained positively, planned well and improved into a tight unit. We are vying for a spot in the final and qualification to Australia 2020.”
Namibia’s skipper Yasmeen Khan said, “Every player on the team is very excited and are looking forward to taking full advantage of the opportunity to showcase their talent. Being a step away from the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is an exciting experience that is sure to please any athlete or team. Therefore, to qualify is our ultimate target and we are looking forward to making our country proud.”
Netherlands captain Juliet Post said, “We are here to compete and play some good cricket. In the end, you never know what could happen in T20 cricket. Qualifying for the Women’s T20 World Cup would be very special. To play T20 Internationals is always something special but I think the buzz around the tournament, to play against different opponents, the team building that happens and the experiences we will gain are the things which we look forward to the most.”
Laura Delany, the skipper of Ireland team, said, “I suppose trying to qualify for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is probably stating the obvious. It’s always exciting to play in these tournaments with the prospect of what lies ahead should we qualify. I think it will be a tough test for us as a squad but we can’t wait to get started.”
Host team (Scotland)’s captain, Katheryn Bryce said, “A few of the girls in the squad had never played in a qualifying tournament before the ICC Women’s Qualifier Europe, so it was a great experience for them before heading into the global qualifier. It is very exciting being that much close to the T20 World Cup. In Thailand (2015) we finished fourth and in the Netherlands (2018) we finished third, so hopefully, we can take it one step further and qualify for the T20 World Cup.”
It is a dream-come-true for the USA team as their captain, Sindhu Sriharsha said, “As a team, we dreamt and worked hard to be in this position. The regional qualifiers were the first step towards the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia. I’m glad all our efforts and commitment paid off at that tournament. Qualifying to global qualifiers after eight years is surreal, I believe it is the beginning of something big for USA cricket. As a team, we are looking forward to the opportunity to showcase our talent and skills to the larger cricket playing nations.”
Kaia Arua, the skipper of PNG team, said, “It was a wonderful experience and we worked very hard at the Qualifiers in Vanuatu to get where we are today. I am looking forward to playing good cricket in a new country in new conditions which we have not experienced before.”
To read full details of the press release, click here:
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