Chief selector backs WI Women to excel in NZ conditions

ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

Lead selector Ann Browne-John does not believe West Indies Women will be at a major disadvantage at next month's ICC 50-over World Cup, despite not having played in New Zealand in three years.

The Caribbean side is one of eight teams doing battle at the March 4 to April 3 showpiece, and will confront cooler temperatures and truer pitches with consistent bounce, generally expected to favour faster bowlers.

Browne-John said she expects the 15-member squad to adapt well as they all possessed the skill sets required to excel.

"It is true that the team has not been in New Zealand for some time but, first, we have a technical team who will have knowledge of New Zealand and would've played there before and would have knowledge of the pitches; so that would have had an impact on the selection [of the squad]," Browne-John said.

"The selectors have had a chance to look extensively at the players. So although they have not played in New Zealand [recently], we are looking at the skill sets we have and based on that, we were able to do our selection, and we will hope that our skill set will be suitable for the pitches that they are going to be playing on."

The selectors have opted for a balanced attack, with the experienced duo of Shamilia Connell and Shakera Selman headlining the seam options, and rookie 22-year-old Cherry-Ann Fraser, Aliyah Alleyne and Deandra Dottin providing support.

Off-spinner Anisa Mohammed, in her fifth World Cup campaign, will spearhead the spin attack, and is expected to form partnerships with frontline leg-spinner Afy Fletcher, and fellow off-spinners Stafanie Taylor and Hayley Matthews.

"Some people would think that it [New Zealand conditions] is ideal for the seamers, but when we look at our team, I think we have a great balance of seamers and spin bowlers," Browne-John explained.

"We have some excellent spin bowlers, so on any given day we can expect both the seamers and the spin bowlers to show up and possibly win games for us.

"We're trying not to depend on just the spinners or just the seamers. I know it is sometimes said that in New Zealand, the pitches are more helpful to the seamers, but we think we have a good balance."

West Indies Women suffered a chastening 3-0 drubbing on their last tour of New Zealand in 2018 with the likes of current captain Taylor, Dottin, Matthews, Connell, Fletcher and Kycia Knight all featuring.

This time around, West Indies Women will boast several inexperienced players - five of whom will be appearing at a major ICC event for the first time - but Browne-John said it was the right time to blood the new talent.

"At least three of the five players have been around for some time now. Chinelle Henry, although this is her first Cricket World Cup, she has been in the team for some time," the former player pointed out.

West Indies Women face Australia Women in a warm-up match on Saturday, before clashing with hosts New Zealand Women in their opener on March 4.