Australia captain Alyssa Healy is certain that her team’s depth and strength will allow them to handle the “different challenges” presented by opponents in the forthcoming Women’s ODI World Cup in the Indian subcontinent.
In the eight-team competition, which will take place in India and Sri Lanka from September 30 to November 2, the seven-time 50-over World Cup champions will try to defend their crown.
“I’m looking forward to that obviously but the cricket conditions pose a different challenge to our group, which I think we are really well placed for,” Healy was quoted as saying by the ICC.
“We’ve got so much depth in every area that whatever conditions are thrown at us, we’ll be well placed to handle that. So, I’m really excited for the strength of the squad,” the 35-year-old Australian wicketkeeper-batter added.
After a protracted injury layoff, left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux returned to Australia’s 15-man squad for the main event.
As Australia looks to defend the championship they won in New Zealand in 2022, the spin combination of Sophie and Georgia Wareham will be crucial to their chances in the Indian subcontinent.
“It’s a great place to play cricket, also a great place to tour. The culture is very different but I think the way they (India) just love their cricket, approach it and are fanatical about their cricket, think it’s a great place to go as a cricketer,” Healy said.
Prior to the 50-over showcase game, Australia will also play India in a three-match ODI series. The batting mainstay went on to say that her squad would be aiming for the milestone of winning back-to-back World Cup tournaments, which would be fantastic.
“I don’t think anyone has gone back to back for a while and there’s a lot of those sort of milestones that we’d love to achieve. Winning World Cups is special, they’re the pinnacle of our sport. So, we know we’ve got to go there and play consistently,” Healy said.
“It’s probably where we fell short in the UAE (2024 T20 World Cup), we got done on one bad day. We know we need 10 good results to go our way. I feel like we are in a very good place to do that and it will be really special for the group if that unfolds,” she said.
Ten players on Healy’s team participated in the tournament’s previous iteration. Battle-hardened players with a plethora of experience, such as Ash Gardner, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, and Ellyse Perry, are among her.
On October 1, Australia begins their campaign in Indore against their trans-Tasman foes, New Zealand.
