India, Australia and Sri Lanka are going to be difficult to come up against: Devine

New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) New Zealand captain Sophie Devine has identified co-hosts India and Sri Lanka, as well as defending champions Australia, as formidable opponents to face off against in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, starting on September 30.

New Zealand, who won 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup, are aiming to win the 50-over silverware after emerging victorious in 2000 edition of the competition. Sophie had earlier announced that she would step away from the format after the end of the upcoming World Cup.

“Every team will possess a different challenge, but we know the defending champions Australia are going to be pretty tough to beat. Playing them first up will be a great start to the tournament. India at home are also a huge threat, in terms of the support that they have and the depth of their group, and Sri Lanka as well, we’ve seen that playing at home is a real strength for them. Those three teams are certainly going to be difficult to come up against,” wrote Sophie in her ICC column on Wednesday.

She also spoke about the side’s preparation for the competition, including ten players along with head coach Ben Sawyer and assistant coach Craig McMillan having a two-week camp in August at the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Academy in Chennai.

“When it comes to acclimatisation, the group has been working really hard on areas that we think are going to be successful in Indian and Sri Lankan conditions. We were really lucky to have a camp in India where some of our batters got to experience those conditions, I think that’s going to be hugely valuable.

“While a key focus for us has been around our fitness and being able to handle the conditions that we’re going to face. The group’s been toiling away in the cold New Zealand winter, but we know if we’ve done our strength and conditioning work we can go over there and really trust in our skills,” she said.

With a mixture of veterans and youngsters in the squad, Sophie stated she’s excited about the change of guard happening in the White Ferns’ set-up through this competition. “It's still quite an emotional thing to admit but with the young talent coming up through our squad right now, I can't help but feel excited about our World Cup squad.

“Everyone’s been putting in the hard yards which has been pleasing to see. The likes of our younger ones, in Eden Carson and Izzy Gaze, they’ve really stepped into their own having been involved with the White Ferns for a couple of years now. I’m excited to see what they will bring to the tournament.

“The older heads like Maddy Green, she’s been excellent and really taken her game to the next level. Brooke Halliday is another really important part of our team. Having that left hander in the line up always makes it a bit difficult for the opposition. It's evident that this tournament will show the new blood on show in New Zealand as we look to clinch the title for the first time since 2000,” she elaborated.

Sophie signed off by saying New Zealand is eager to embrace the cultural richness of the subcontinent while staying focused on delivering strong performances during the World Cup.

“India's always such a special place to play cricket, everyone knows how passionate the people are there about the game. Sri Lanka’s another great country to visit, it’s a vibrant place and we’ve really enjoyed playing there in the past.

“We’re looking forward to travelling to different places, embracing the cultures and everything that comes with it, on and off the field. We’ll take the time to really enjoy ourselves, but know that we’re there to do a job, and hopefully play some really good cricket and win over a few fans.”

--IANS

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