WHITE FERNS captain Suzie Bates has her eyes firmly on the prize as she embarks on a crucial few months in the UK.
The talismanic Otago all-rounder has gone to England early to play some domestic women’s cricket in preparation for the ICC Women’s World Cup, which starts on June 24th.
“It’s a good chance to get some cricket under the belt and experience the conditions we are going to face first hand,” Bates said on departure.
The 29-year-old won’t be the lone Northern based Kiwi, with around half a dozen of her WHITE FERNS’ teammates also set to turn out for various counties in the UK in the lead up to the tournament.
The full 15 player squad will then link up in Hampshire on June 11th for a final pre World Cup camp.
Bates has played in 14 Women’s World Cup matches and amassed 682 runs, the second most by a Kiwi woman at the tournament with a high-score of 168.
Currently ranked as the third best team in the world, Bates acknowledged that the WHITE FERNS had a big task ahead of them.
“It’s probably going to be the closest World Cup I’ve been a part of,” she said. “There’s eight really good teams that can beat anyone, but I think in particular you can never look past Australia at a World Cup and England being at home as well.”
Bates will have plenty of senior players around her to call in with the likes of Rachel Priest, Amy Satterthwaite and Lea Tahuhu all vastly experienced at the international level.
“We’ve got a really good group of leaders who can play major roles in big games. We’re a tight knit team and hopefully that squad spirit can carry us deep into the tournament.”
Ranked as the fifth best women’s ODI all-rounder in the world, Bates was looking forward to seeing new talent step up on the big stage.
“You’ve got world-class players that have stood up in recent times in a lot of the global competitions but I think this will be a tournament where there will be names that we perhaps haven’t heard of in every team that will stand up,” Bates said. “I think that’s what’s exciting about this World Cup.”
The WHITE FERNS will open their ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 campaign against Sri Lanka in Bristol on June 24.
