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Tomorrow morning (New Zealand time) the White Ferns play their ICC World Twenty20 semi-final against the home team the West Indies, which will be live on Sky at 8am.
All-rounder Nicola Browne has been keeping an eye on the stiff competition and is looking forward to the challenges ahead. She’s got her game face on and has a plan of attack ready. “We’ve seen other teams using bouncers effectively so the game plan is to bowl a bouncer every ball and see how the batsmen respond,” Browne said.
The last time the White Ferns and West Indies met was in the warm up matches before this competition. Although the White Ferns were defeated, Browne is optimistic about their chances. “I like them. They are an exciting team and have some great athletes,” she said of the West Indies. “However if you can get on top of them that’s good. Our plan is to get on top and not let up.”
In the White Ferns’ last game against Pakistan Browne took four wickets. Part of being a good cricketer is adapting to the conditions and she has tried hard to do her best on the Caribbean surfaces. “The pitch didn’t have a lot of bounce so I’ve had to bend back quite a bit. Some balls kept lower than I would have liked and those balls may have been punished,” she said. “I’m probably not the best celebrator of wickets and I try to stay pretty level. I was disappointed not to take a five wicket bag in the last game, they don’t come around very often and in my case never, so I did feel a bit caught up once I had four wickets.”
Although this semi final is considered one of the hardest games for the Kiwi girls, Browne said preparation for the huge match up hasn’t changed. “We are just keeping our preparation all the same. We believe in our plans and preparation and we are still focused. It’s hotter here so a bit more energy is spent out training so plenty of water is needed.”
All in all Browne is loving being in the West Indies and is looking forward to the big game tomorrow. “It is a fantastic tour to be on. The cricket is exciting but being over here in the West Indies is a lot of fun and we are all enjoying the experience. Bring it on!” she concluded.
