Squad Depth will take Australia through in WC defence, says Perry as Australia look to retain their ODI crown.
Ellyse Perry backs ‘huge squad depth’ to see Australia through in ODI World Cup defence.
While having too much of a good thing hasn’t exactly happened, one of Australia’s main strategies for defending their ODI World Cup title against India and Sri Lanka has been to promote the mindset that they should take full advantage of their outstanding depth.
Few would be shocked if this team accomplished the feat, but no team has won the women’s ODI World Cup back-to-back since Australia’s hat-trick of wins from 1978 to 1988. Since defeating England in Christchurch in the 2022 World Cup final to finish their redemption arc from the 2017 semi-final exit, they have only lost three games in the format.
However, Australia was exposed in both white-ball formats during two of those defeats in the 2023 Ashes. Along with their elimination in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup last year, there was a moment when the squad challenged themselves to stay ahead of the pack, even though it wasn’t as dramatic as what transpired in the 2017 semi-final against India.
“We’re really conscious of the fact that we’re incredibly fortunate to have some huge depth in our side, both batting and bowling,” Ellyse Perry, who will be playing her fifth ODI World Cup, said at a sponsorship announcement for Chemist Warehouse ahead of the team’s departure to India.
“So, from that aspect, I think we’ve made a really conscious shift towards wanting to take the game on from the very start and probably keep our foot down for as long as we can. Obviously, you’ve got to adapt to conditions and certain circumstances, but it just feels like there’s a real ethos within the group to make sure that we can utilise everyone’s talent on the day.
“It’s going to be one person’s day most of the time, not everyone’s, but if we can kind of really be consistent with that, we’ve got a good chance of being successful more often than not. I think that’s been a big shift for us.”