'We’re always ready' – West Indies Women gear up for Australia challenge

West Indies finished winless on their tour to England in June this year, losing three ODI games by heavy margins, which significantly dented their position in the ICC Women's ODI Championship 2017-2020. They lost the T20I series too, defeated in the second match of the three-match series, while the other two were washed out.

To add to their woes, four of their core players won't be a part of the ODI set-up against Australia. Star all-rounder Deandra Dottin, who has undergone shoulder surgery, is the most notable absentee. Taylor, though, is backing her side for the series, insisting that the absence of senior players presents a good opportunity for the younger lot.

"We're always ready," said the batting all-rounder ahead of the first ODI on Thursday, 5 September. "We're the West Indies, there’s never a time we're not ready. The injuries are a bit of a concern but it's also nice for the young players coming through to gain that experience. It's more about us focusing on what we would like to do, instead of focusing too much on the Aussies.

"England was a bit challenging so it’s nice to get away from that and get back here in the Caribbean. [That series] is long gone so we’re not focusing too much on what's in the past."

Australia, meanwhile, had completely opposite fortunes on their tour of England for the Women's Ashes. They lost just one game in the multi-format series. Skipper Meg Lanning however, ruled out any chance of complacency against the hosts.

"The West Indies can play some really high-class cricket and we’re expecting them to come out and play at their best," Lanning said on the eve of the opening ODI in Antigua.

"They've got world class-players, some of whom we know very well from the WBBL, so we're not coming into this series and taking the West Indies lightly, we're expecting a really tough battle."

With Nicole Bolton ruling herself out of the tour to focus on her mental health, one of Rachael Haynes or Ashleigh Gardner is likely to be promoted to open the batting, leaving a spot vacant in the middle order. Nicola Carey and the uncapped pair of Erin Burns and Heather Graham are presently in contention for the spot and Lanning hinted that the final call will only be taken closer to the toss.

"We'll definitely have another all-rounder given the make-up of the squad, but those players can be genuine bats at times."