West Indies Women will open their 2022 50-over World Cup campaign against hosts, New Zealand, a challenge skipper Stafanie Taylor looks is looking forward to.
“We are pretty excited about that,” Taylor said at the media briefing yesterday adding.. “probably didn’t want to play the host for the first game but it is what it is.”
Since 2017, West Indies have played New Zealand four times, losing each of those encounters.
Taylor admitted that 50-over cricket has not always been the team’s best format but was adamant that they will be trying to be more consistent while acknowledging that her unit has been improving and will be taking it one step at a time.
She indicated that success was not a topic overly discussed in the dressing room but rather a focus on the targets of the team.
“We haven’t even talked about success,” she said.
“I think what we talk about mostly is what we need to do as a team. We try not to stress too much on we need to be successful in this World Cup but try to focus on our game and what we need to improve on to get better,” she added.
Speaking of the team’s preparation heading into the competition, Taylor said that she was happy with the work put in so far since cricket resumed in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I find it has been really good for us. It was really nice to kick start going to England and it wasn’t the type of cricket we would like to play being in a bubble and I think from there on we had some really good series especially against Pakistan and we went to South Africa to further our preparation and I believe we are in a good place to kick-start our campaign,” she said.
West Indies squad: Stafanie Taylor, Anisa Mohammed, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Chinelle Henry, Kycia Knight, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman, Rashada Williams