New Zealand women prepare in Chennai for the World Cup with Ben Sawyer and assistant coach Craig McMillan in charge.
New Zealand Women begin World Cup prep with Chennai camp.
With a two-week camp in spin-friendly conditions at the Chennai Super Kings Academy in Chennai, the women of New Zealand have intensified their preparation for the forthcoming Women’s ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
The timing of the White Ferns’ first specialised overseas camp has been “perfect,” according to head coach Ben Sawyer, who is in Chennai with assistant coach Craig McMillan, despite the fact that several Black Caps, including Rachin Ravindra, have visited the high-performance facility recently.
“Yeah, 100% correct. It’s currently winter in New Zealand, there’s no cricket and we’re nearly two months out of the World Cup,” Sawyer told ESPNcricinfo. “So, to have that prep time in India, we’ve been able to bring seven contracted players and then three of our players of interest along. So, the girls that we think will play lots of cricket in India in the future as well. So yeah, it’s been an amazing experience so far.”
Seven contracted players are on tour, including seam-bowling all-rounder Jess Kerr, opening batsman Georgia Plimmer, and Brooke Halliday, who scored 38 off 28 balls in last year’s T20 World Cup final, which New Zealand won. Emerging players Emma McLeod, Flora Devonshire, and Izzy Sharp are also included.
In preparation for the ODI World Cup, which begins on September 30, New Zealand’s players and staff will return home after the Chennai camp and probably travel to Dubai to play one-dayers against England.