"Every game like a final”: captains weigh in on World Cup chances

Welcoming the seven other teams to the New Zealand shores, Sophie Devine feels the home side's chances can be galvanised by a strong home support, similar to their male counterparts in 2015 and irrespective of the potential caps to crowds across the country.

"(The New Zealand men's side) really did have the whole country behind them and we're hoping we can do something similar in igniting the passion that so many Kiwis have for their sport and hopefully they can get behind us as well.”

“We know if we play a really exciting brand of cricket that we can get the whole country behind, that's going to leave a legacy."

West Indies wary of White Ferns first-up

New Zealand's opponents in the 4 March curtain-raiser are Stafanie Taylor's West Indies.

Touring extensively around the world with a fifty-over focus, Taylor's side has visited England, Pakistan and South Africa even in the throes of the pandemic, leaving no stone unturned in their preparations.

“It was really nice to kickstart (plans for the World Cup) going to England. It wasn’t the type of cricket we’d like to play being in the bubble, but we knew what the situation was.

"I believe we are in a good place to kickstart our campaign.”

West Indies have enjoyed well-documented success in the T20I format, with a bulk of the squad featuring in the the 2016 Women's T20 World Cup squad, though their struggles in the 50-over format have led to extensive trial and error.

“I think we're making strides (in the ODI format).

"For us, it is more about improving every time and getting better at that."

Taylor's team must find the rhythm early after their warm-up encounters, facing Sophie Devine's side.

“We’re pretty excited about that. You probably wouldn't want to play the hosts in the first game but it is what it is.

“I think for us, we have to go out there and play to the best of our abilities. You can see New Zealand doing pretty well, we've had a lot of cricket to look at, so hopefully we could get one over them."

2017 campaign led to new thinking, but left no scars for Lanning's Australia

Tournament favourites Australia are eager to avenge the disappointment of their 2017 campaign, with the semi-final defeat to India leading to a change of tack, led by skipper Meg Lanning and coach Matthew Mott.

For Lanning though, the lessons of the tournament in England apply to her and a handful of her contingent, given the change of personnel across the playing squad and coaching group.

“The impacts of the 2017 World Cup have obviously changed the way we play but, from now really moving forward, this World Cup is completely different.

“This group that we've got here is very different to 2017. I think the majority of the players were not even involved in the tournament, and the majority of the staff also weren't there,” Lanning said.

"The girls looking up to us will be inspired" - Bismah

Buoyed by their win over the West Indies at the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup, popularity in the women's game has grown in Pakistan according to captain Bismah Maroof, who feels a strong campaign at the 50-over equivalent has the potential to take the game into soaring new heights.

“I think we have a bright future, the mindset has changed in Pakistan and the girls want to play cricket, they want to play professional cricket.

“I hope this World Cup will provide further boost for the women’s game."

Maroof and her Pakistan side could also be excused for placing a big emphasis on their first tournament outing; they face India on 6 March.

“India-Pakistan is the most followed match around the world, and we definitely want the girls to be inspired and I hope this match is an interesting one. The girls who are looking up to us will be inspired.”

Inexperienced in New Zealand conditions, Maroof stresses the importance of taking in all the lessons of the warm-up matches against the hosts and Bangladesh.

“The conditions are quite different. As we are used to playing. Quite windy and quite bouncy.”

“I think we had good practice sessions but these warm up games will help us get used to the conditions and help us prepare well.”

"Every game is a final," - Luus

Stepping up as captain in the absence of the injured Dane van Niekerk, a self-assured Sune Luus feels she will be backed by a professional playing group, pulling in the same direction on the path to World Cup success.

"I think for me it's key to make it my own. You can't really be like the person next to you. You've got to do what's right for you and what you feel you need to do.

"The team is very comfortable with whoever steps into the leadership role. I think there is a level of trust with whoever comes in."

Regarded by many as 'the best of the rest' in the pursuit of chasing down Australia, England and India, Luus believes a semi-final spot is the minimum expectation even with the loss of van Niekerk, and credits the work with mental coaches in helping channel the positive lessons of knock-out stage defeats.

“I think if we get to the semi-final stage again, we're going to make sure we push through even if it's the last thing we do, so we're going to try our best to get to the final.”

“I think every team here is very competitive and a very strong side, so we're going to take each team like it comes and play every game like a final.”

Defending champions tag not weighing on England

Five years is a long time in international cricket, and the gap between global tournament could be viewed as a blessing in disguise for Heather Knight's team, who have handed the favourites tag to the Australians, their first opponents at the tournament.

England were beaten by their bitter rivals in a multi-format Ashes series during the southern hemisphere summer, though Knight expects her side to be well-prepared for the challenges across the next month in their title defence.

"I think the tournament we had in 2017 will give a lot of the players confidence that they can deal with the ebbs and flows of the tournament and know how to be successful in World Cups.

“In the last couple of years before a World Cup, you are trying to really build to peak at that time. We've really tried to be a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more attacking, look to take wickets particularly up front and through that middle phase."

Mixture of youth and experience key for India

Battle-hardened by a five-match ODI series against the tournament hosts, a number of young players have stood up for Mithali Raj's India, and the veteran captain feels the tour thus far has answered burning questions of her team's composition.

"We've tried some young talent in the squad, and most of them have shown that they have the ability to play at this level like Richa (Ghosh), Shafali (Verma), Meghna Singh, (and) Pooja Vastrakar."

“They all have been given good game time, and those series have really helped them and me as a captain to find out where they fit in into the composition of the team."

On the eve of her sixth World Cup campaign, Raj sees the positives of a lifetime's experience at global events, though ensure her younger compatriots can breathe new life into their campaign, free of inhibitions or previous World Cup demons.

"I tell them that you don't have the experience of the past World Cups, it's a clean slate for you, all you have to do is enjoy the big stage."

Early arrival and wisdom from the men give Nigar Sultana's side confidence

It may be a first-time appearance at the World Cup for Bangladesh, though the recent Asian Cup success of 2018 and experience of the Women's T20 World Cup has given Nigar Sultana's side confidence to shake up the tournament.

Arriving early to gauge conditions, Sultana has praised her group for adapting quickly, also taking on the advice from the Bangladesh men's team, who enjoyed a Test victory on New Zealand soil earlier in the year.

"We have had a lot of quality practice sessions here, we are trying to assess the wicket and in the conditions, I think our girls have done very well.

"We do have some good relations with some of the players so they shared a lot of experience about the conditions and how we're going to the play here.

“I think this is a big opportunity for all of us. We've been working so hard for this and this is our first ever World Cup. I think if we could do well here, it will be a great moment in Bangladesh cricket."