In a column for the ICC Alyssa Healy has said: The upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is a huge opportunity for our group to go and compete against the best in the world.
T20 World Cups are really hard to win – it’s the best against the best and whoever can be most consistent or win those little moments along the way can get the job done.
Representing your country in one means a lot and we have created some treasured memories in this competition.
In particular, winning the T20 World Cup at home in 2020 was a huge highlight for a lot of our group. To have the final at the MCG in front of 86,174 spectators was an amazing experience.
There are no real expectations on our group this time around – but I expect it to be a really tough tournament. All 10 teams have a shot to win it and with some foreign conditions for a lot of the teams, it will be really interesting to watch unfold.
Playing in the UAE is a new experience for our group. Only a few of us have gone over and trained or played practice games over there so it’s a new place to see, which is exciting.
The conditions are slightly unknown; however, I feel we are well equipped to handle whatever is thrown our way.
From experience, the facilities and venues are excellent, so I’m looking forward to the opportunity of playing a World Cup there.
Preparations have been a little different for everyone heading into this World Cup.
Most of our squad have spent time in the UK playing The Hundred, which was great to watch, and a few, like me spent the time at home.
The opportunities to now play cricket all year round, or choose not to, is amazing and allows players to individually prepare how they want. It’s great to see so many of our players enjoying their cricket and primed for the World Cup.
I am looking forward to our group now coming together for this competition and an exciting thing about our squad this tournament is our young players.
They are super exciting to watch and have had some experience on the international stage over the past few seasons so are ready to go.
It obviously helps having some old, experienced heads around them to steer us in the right direction but watching the next generation play the game is pretty fun to watch.
I would suggest keeping an eye on Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield, in particular, during this tournament.
We go into this World Cup with a really well-rounded group and strong squad of players. I can’t wait to be a part of it.
With thanks to the ICC
