New Zealand, who won 2024 Women\u2019s T20 World Cup, are aiming to win the 50-over silverware after emerging victorious in 2000 edition of the competition. Sophie had earlier announced that she would step away from the format after the end of the upcoming World Cup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cEvery team will possess a different challenge, but we know the defending champions Australia are going to be pretty tough to beat. Playing them first up will be a great start to the tournament. India at home are also a huge threat, in terms of the support that they have and the depth of their group, and Sri Lanka as well, we\u2019ve seen that playing at home is a real strength for them. Those three teams are certainly going to be difficult to come up against,\u201d wrote Sophie in her ICC column on Wednesday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
She also spoke about the side\u2019s preparation for the competition, including ten players along with head coach Ben Sawyer and assistant coach Craig McMillan having a two-week camp in August at the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Academy in Chennai.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhen it comes to acclimatisation, the group has been working really hard on areas that we think are going to be successful in Indian and Sri Lankan conditions. We were really lucky to have a camp in India where some of our batters got to experience those conditions, I think that\u2019s going to be hugely valuable.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhile a key focus for us has been around our fitness and being able to handle the conditions that we\u2019re going to face. The group\u2019s been toiling away in the cold New Zealand winter, but we know if we\u2019ve done our strength and conditioning work we can go over there and really trust in our skills,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With a mixture of veterans and youngsters in the squad, Sophie stated she\u2019s excited about the change of guard happening in the White Ferns\u2019 set-up through this competition. \u201cIt's still quite an emotional thing to admit but with the young talent coming up through our squad right now, I can't help but feel excited about our World Cup squad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cEveryone\u2019s been putting in the hard yards which has been pleasing to see. The likes of our younger ones, in Eden Carson and Izzy Gaze, they\u2019ve really stepped into their own having been involved with the White Ferns for a couple of years now. I\u2019m excited to see what they will bring to the tournament.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe older heads like Maddy Green, she\u2019s been excellent and really taken her game to the next level. Brooke Halliday is another really important part of our team. Having that left hander in the line up always makes it a bit difficult for the opposition. It's evident that this tournament will show the new blood on show in New Zealand as we look to clinch the title for the first time since 2000,\u201d she elaborated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sophie signed off by saying New Zealand is eager to embrace the cultural richness of the subcontinent while staying focused on delivering strong performances during the World Cup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe older heads like Maddy Green, she\u2019s been excellent and really taken her game to the next level. Brooke Halliday is another really important part of our team. Having that left hander in the line up always makes it a bit difficult for the opposition. It's evident that this tournament will show the new blood on show in New Zealand as we look to clinch the title for the first time since 2000,\u201d she elaborated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to travelling to different places, embracing the cultures and everything that comes with it, on and off the field. We\u2019ll take the time to really enjoy ourselves, but know that we\u2019re there to do a job, and hopefully play some really good cricket and win over a few fans.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n