'A really exciting time' to be part of this team – Jess Jonassen

The 25-year-old sustained a major knee injury in September and was ruled out of Australia's one-day international and T20 series against New Zealand. In her absence, Sophie Molineux impressed a fair bit, giving Australia a selection headache ahead of the big event in the Caribbean.

"She really stood up and really took the role on," Jonassen said of Molineux. "I jokingly sent her a message that she's making it hard for me to come in. That's a really healthy thing though.

"Looking at where our side is at the moment, the calibre of players who might have to miss out ... it goes to show how strong we are at the moment, and the versatility in our team. It's a really exciting time to be a part of this team."

Australia was to begin their preparation with a practice match against England on Saturday, but the game was washed out due to a severe storm in Antigua.

"It's a bit disappointing but the girls are in pretty good spirits, a couple of them are out there now doing some fielding under lights while we got the opportunity before the next bit of rain hits," said Jonassen.

That said, Jonassen is enjoying her time bag with the squad, despite the rain. "It was really tough for me to watch the New Zealand series from home. It was really nice to be back and around again," she said. "For me, its just a matter of playing more games, getting out there and getting more confidence.

"Any match or series leading up to the World Cup is vital. The girls had some really good preparation up in Malaysia. We have got some games under our belt as well. Although tonight was a washout, we will hopefully get on against South Africa and have a really good competitive hit out before our first game with Pakistan."