As it stands, the Australian women’s cricket team are the defending ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup champions other than being the Commonwealth Games gold medallists from a couple years ago. In fact, such is their dominant standing in world cricket that since 2018 no other team has won a world title.
The strong position though is a double-edged sword, reckons skipper Alyssa Healy, who will captain Australia in the T20 World Cup starting next month in the UAE.
Speaking to Fox Sports in a recent interview, Healy admitted feeling that the team always has a target on its back. “Yeah, we do feel it. We’re being hunted so heavily by all the teams that we’re almost playing our final every game. Teams are coming so hard at us because they want to knock us out early,” Healy said.
Furthermore, Healy conceded that adapting quickly to the demands of a world title defense is what has helped Australia enhance their abilities in the shortest format of the game.
“We have to switch on really quickly, and I think that has helped our approach to T20 cricket, in particular over the last couple of World Cups. We need to switch on and get moving and get into the tournament as fast as we can, because we’re being hunted at every opportunity,” Healy said.
“Winning a World Cup is really, really hard to do, in the T20 format in particular. To be as consistent as what we have been in that format is an amazing achievement. If it’s four in a row, amazing, but if not, if we give it a red-hot crack and we don’t come away with the trophy, then that’s okay,” she added.
Australia – the reigning champions – are slotted alongside India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in Group A of the 10-team tournament that will kickstart from October 3.
