Australia captain Meg Lanning believes their possibilities of a profitable T20 World Cup defence title in South Africa will depend on her champions absorbing the stress as a lot as piling it again on the opposition.
As they ready to tackle New Zealand of their event opener on Saturday in Paarl, Lanning mentioned on the eve of the match that the five-time champions Australia have been “on a level pegging” with the remaining 9 groups.
She performed down her group’s top-billing as sizzling favourites to carry the trophy, saying: “Every team comes into this tournament starting on zero points and has to go out there and win the World Cup – and that’s the way we’re approaching this tournament.”
Talking forward of the group’s first coaching session at Boland Park in Paarl on Friday, Lanning added: “We have high expectations of ourselves. We’re obviously coming here to win.
“That’s the top purpose, however we all know there’s lots of steps to undergo earlier than we even get to that time.”
Top-ranked T20I side Australia’s three-wicket shock defeat to the No.10-ranked Ireland in their second and final warm-up fixture on Wednesday had vice-captain Alyssa Healy describe the result as “nothing too anxious”.
Lanning, for her part, felt there were lessons to be taken from the upset.
“Coming right here, wanting ahead to the problem, and it doesn’t matter what group we come up in opposition to — because the Ireland sport confirmed — now we have to be at our greatest to win. We weren’t shocked by that. We anticipate that,” mentioned the captain.
“That’s the problem that we have as a gaggle. We know groups are going to come back fairly laborious at us and we’ll should form of take in some stress and in addition put them beneath the pump as properly, which is one thing we have accomplished very well over the previous few years particularly.
“So we’re really looking forward to the challenge and what better way to start than against a team like New Zealand.”
How Australia might fare within the event might rely, to a level, on the type of evergreen star allrounder Ellyse Perry.
During their victorious India tour in December, the 32-year-old completed second solely to Beth Mooney on the run charts, averaging 82.50 for her 165 runs in three innings.
“Ellyse is very experienced and is someone who turns up at the big tournaments and plays well in big games, and that’s a really good trait to have,” mentioned Lanning.
“And I think we’ll see that throughout this one.
“I feel her batting has gone to a different stage. Through that India collection, we noticed that. She’s a really dynamic participant. She can hit the ball as far and as laborious as anybody in world cricket.
“So, it’s nice to see that she’s sort of taken that step and really utilising everything that she’s got. I think the opposition should be pretty nervous about what she might bring.”
Australia final toured South Africa for the 2005 ODI World Cup, their March 2020 six-match bilateral collection within the nation having been known as off as a result of onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hoping that the “conditions are really good for competitive cricket and some really free-flowing T20 cricket” within the World Cup, Lanning made it clear her aspect will “come out here expecting that”.
“And if we need to adjust, then we will,” she added.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
