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With his team’s World Cup dreams all but shattered, a devastated Zimbabwe captain lamented the two missed opportunities to qualify against West Indies and UAE

Liam Brickhill22-Mar-2018With his team’s World Cup dreams all but shattered, a devastated Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer lamented the two missed opportunities to qualify against West Indies and UAE. Zimbabwe needed a win in either match to be sure of their place.”It’s very painful,” Cremer said. “We had two bites at getting to the final, and we’ve stumbled at the last hurdle.”We were so hungry [to win today]. The ball was in our court, we just needed to turn up today and play some of our best cricket, then it might have been a different story. Guys are shattered in the change room. I’m sure most Zimbabweans are.”This tournament has seen packed terraces for all of Zimbabwe’s games, and Harare Sports Club was filled to capacity for their match against UAE. At one point in the afternoon, the gates were closed and people were being turned away from the match. But despite the vocal home support, they once again fell short.”The fans have been excellent, from Bulawayo to here, and another great turnout today. They’ll probably be more disappointed than anyone, because they’ve turned out and at least expected us to win one of these two games to qualify. So there was big expectation on us. We’re really sad that we couldn’t give them what they wanted.”Zimbabwe had found success in this tournament by setting totals, but after winning the toss on Thursday, Cremer opted to bowl. Zimbabwe picked up the early wicket of Ashfaq Ahmed, but UAE’s top five rallied to put them into a good position, with Rameez Shahzad top-scoring with 59. Once again, Zimbabwe weren’t quite as sharp as they needed to be in the field.”We were a bit unsure but we backed ourselves that whatever we did, bat or bowl, we will come out on top. We gave them a few too many, and then to only have 40 overs with the bat, that cost us a bit. We’d still back ourselves to chase 230 in 40 overs, but a poor start again. We keep losing wickets in that first Powerplay, which has probably cost us.”Zimbabwe lost Solomon Mire, Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor cheaply in their chase, but were revived by Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza. Williams raced to 80 at a run a ball, while Raza was quickly into his groove with a 26-ball 34. Neither was able to take their side home, however, and with their dismissals, UAE took control of the game.”When we were batting we got a few partnerships going but we lost wickets in crucial periods,” Cremer said. “When Raza got out, that was crucial for us. Because he could have won that game with a couple of overs to spare, the way he was batting. When Sean got out, that was another big moment in the game.”While Cremer rued a missed opportunity that could have far-reaching consequences for Zimbabwean cricket, UAE captain Rohan Mustafa celebrated what is a major milestone for his team: taking down a Full Member.”A great achievement for the UAE team, because we have never won against a Test nation team,” Mustafa said. “So it’s a great achievement, and it shows the world that UAE, and the other Associate countries, are getting better.”We can take confidence from this match, because we beat such a good team. Zimbabwe is one of the best teams in this tournament, and we beat them. So there is a lesson for us, and it will help us.”

A round-up of Group A matches on the opening day of the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2017At the Palam Grounds, Deepak Hooda began the tournament with his maiden List A century that set up Baroda’s 30-run win over Railways. Hooda’s 106-ball 119 lifted Baroda to 259 for 9 before their bowlers hunted in a pack to dismiss Railways for 229.Railways gained the upper hand early after they opted to field, reducing Baroda to 36 for 2 in the 14th over. Hooda joined hands with Kedar Devdhar to resurrect the Baroda innings through a 135-run third-wicket partnership. Devdhar contributed 77, and once he was caught off Ashish Yadav, Baroda again began losing wickets at frequent intervals. But Hooda batted till the penultimate over to lift them to a reasonable total.Railways made a solid start to their chase through a 60-run opening stand in 11.4 overs. Babashafi Pathan broke through, having Asad Pathan trapped in front for 34. Saurabh Wakaskar, his opening partner, continued to grind it out for 58, but the rest of the middle order, barring Shivakant Shukla (33) largely failed to make an impression and they fell short of the target. Six of the seven bowlers used by Baroda were among the wickets, with Krunal Pandya finishing on top with three wickets.At the Karnail Singh Stadium, half-centuries from Chaitanya Bishnoi and Rahul Tewatia drove Haryana’s chase of 230 with five wickets in hand against Odisha. Bishnoi first stitched together 56 for the third wicket with Himanshu Rana after Haryana were reduced to 37 for 2. Haryana then lost their next three wickets for 40 runs, but Bishnoi (83*) and Tewatia (62*) both produced career-best efforts in their unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 97 to shut out Odisha.Haryana could have been chasing a lot more had they not squandered a strong position. Their openers Sandeep Pattnaik (91) and Anurag Sarangi (77) put on 157 in 33.5 overs after their team opted to bat. Joginder Sharma’s double-strike in the 34th saw the back of Sarangi and Odisha captain Govinda Poddar, after which it was a procession of wickets as Odisha folded for 229 in 47.5 overs.At the Feroz Shah Kotla, medium pacer Siddarth Kaul’s four-wicket haul went in vain as Punjab chased down 219 on the back of Mandeep Singh’s 86 not out, with six wickets in hand against Vidarbha. Vidarbha’s top four made solid contributions to get them into a solid position, but Kaul ran through the lower order as Vidarbha slid from 128 for 2 to be bowled out for 218. Kaul’s wickets included that of Ambati Rayudu, who top-scored with 86.Half-centuries from Manan Vohra and Mandeep set the tone for Punjab’s chase as they raced to 91 in the 19th over, before Akshay Karnewar’s left-arm spin accounted for Vohra for an even 50. Shubham Gill and Gurkeerat Singh fell without doing much as Punjab became 118 for 3. Abhishek Sharma then took the score past 200 in the company of Mandeep. When he fell for 46, only 18 were needed, which Mandeep and Mayank Sidhana knocked off with just under nine overs to spare.

Steven Finn could be fast-tracked straight into England’s Test team for next week’s Boxing Day Test at Durban, with the management expected to give him an opportunity to prove his match fitness in Sunday’s final warm-up game against South Africa A at Piet

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-2015Steven Finn could be handed a chance to play his way straight back into England’s Test team for next week’s Boxing Day Test at Durban when Sunday’s final warm-up game against South Africa A gets underway in Pietermaritzburg.However, the England management’s eagerness to give him an opportunity to prove his match fitness may have to be weighed against the need to give their original squad bowlers enough overs going into the first Test, following the untimely thunderstorm that wiped out the final innings of their first practice match in Potchefstroom.England are expected to inquire about rescinding the second fixture’s first-class status and making it another 13-a-side affair. However, South Africa A have provided a strong opposition containing several international players, including Quinton de Kock and Dane Vilas, and there may be justifiable reluctance to agree to such a move.Finn, who was forced to pull out of England’s Test series in the UAE in October after suffering a bone-stress injury in his left foot, was drafted into the squad as a late addition last week after impressing for England Lions in two Twenty20 comeback appearances against Pakistan A in Dubai.The initial suggestion had been that Finn would not come into consideration for a place until the second Test at the earliest, which gets underway at Cape Town on January 2.However, the pace and hostility that he displayed in his two four-over outings in the UAE have been on display in the nets at Potchefstroom, where a final-day thunderstorm curtailed the opportunities for his two main rivals for a Test berth, Chris Woakes and Mark Footitt, to advance their claims during the opening warm-up match.Ottis Gibson, England’s bowling coach, said of Finn: “The understanding is that once he has made it here he is added to the squad and therefore if he proves in the next couple of days that he is ready, my understanding is that everybody is available for selection.”He has been excellent. He has obviously done a lot of work in the UAE and the guys over there who looked after him did a great job getting him up to speed.”He hasn’t played a game but given the facilities here he has done a lot of good stuff in the nets and put himself right in the frame.”With James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes – who has himself recovered from injury in the Pakistan series – all certain selections for Durban, their match readiness may have to be the main focus in the three-day fixture at City Oval. Anderson and Broad bowled 11 overs between them in the first match.However, Gibson said that Anderson in particular would not need much in the way of warming-up ahead of the first Test. “The stage he is at in his career you treat him slightly different to someone who’s just coming in,” he said. “He’s a very experienced senior pro and he knows exactly what he needs to get himself ready for a Test match nowadays.”Steven Finn could yet feature in the Boxing Day Test•Getty Images

The early front-runner for the third seamer’s berth was Footitt, the Surrey left-arm seamer who has forced his way into the squad at the age of 30 after collecting 158 Championship wickets in the space of two seasons for his former club, Derbyshire.His initial efforts in the opening tour match against a South Africa Invitational XI were a touch erratic, however, and Gibson suggested that his best chance of success would come if he finds a way to relax and believe in his ability.”There were obviously nerves and everything with it being his first bowl for England but he got a wicket and then settled down,” Gibson told reporters.”It’s his bowling for Derby over the last couple of years that has got him here and my message to him is to do exactly what he’s been doing for them. There’s no point him trying to be someone else when he gets here.”He’s impressed the selectors – that’s why he got picked – so the best thing he can do now is relax in this environment because that’s the way for him to produce his best.”Footitt’s 90mph pace and left-arm line would doubtless prove an asset in the Kingsmead Test, a venue that has traditionally favoured fast bowling. Like Finn, his full-throttle approach would provide a strong and contrasting back-up to the established new-ball pairing of Anderson and Broad, and would provide a hostile counterpoint to South Africa’s renowned pace attack, which looks set to be led once again by Dale Steyn, after he came through a fitness test on the groin injury that he sustained during the Test series in India.”The way he has taken wickets over the last couple of years should give him the confidence to believe he can do it here,” Gibson added of Footitt. “It’s a step up but the key thing for him is to find the balance of managing his nerves and being as relaxed as he can to do what he has been doing for the last two seasons.”He’s got good pace, he can swing it and he’s a wicket-taker. He is going to be an asset.”

Steve Mullaney and Paul Franks cut loose after solid work by the Nottinghamshire top order before late wickets put Yorkshire on the back foot

Paul Edwards at North Marine Road06-Jun-2013
ScorecardSteven Mullaney’s innings helped Nottinghamshire up the tempo of their innings•Getty Images

For four sessions this match was rich in adagio and short on allegro. No shame in that, of course. Nottinghamshire’s batsmen were charged with building a substantial first-innings total on a testing wicket against an accurateYorkshire attack. Their lunchtime score on the second day – 242 for 5 off 101.5 overs – bore testimony to the hard work both sides had doneThere had been no criticism of the tempo of the cricket from the knowledgeable crowd either. Decked as they were in sunhats and pastel shades on this glorious Thursday in June, promenaders of both loyalties understood very well that it is not always possible to play festival cricket, even at Scarborough.And, yes, there is often a symphonic quality to a fine innings, whether it is played by a team or an individual. Not for nothing do the coaches talk about the value of batting in partnerships: one pair shows fierce restraint in order that their successors can play with gorgeous freedom.Nottinghamshire’s first innings 443 possessed something of this musical balance.
Michael Lumb and Ed Cowan’s 101-run stand on the first day was the prelude to Lumb’s attack on the Yorkshire attack in the evening session. On Thursday, Lumb and Taylor, the latter batsman probably carrying his defensive duties from principle to dogma, blunted Andrew Gale’s bowlers in the morning in the hope that a big score would be the consequence of their self-denying ordinance.Lumb added 19 runs to his overnight score before being caught by second-slip Adam Lyth off Steven Patterson for 135; Taylor had faced 148 balls for his 38 runs when he unwisely tried to whip the same admirable fast bowler to leg in the over before lunch.The strategy bore fruit but the sheer brio and chutzpah of what took place in the afternoon session still came as a lovely surprise for Nottinghamshire fans, many of whom were prepared for yet more studious sonatas and scurried singles. Steven Mullaney, unbeaten on nought at the break, unveiled a series of excellent drives and cuts as the Yorkshire bowlers finally forswore their vows of rectitude and accuracy.In company with Paul Franks, Mullaney added 87 in 16 overs before he was caught off bat and boot at short leg for a 97-ball 79. Richard Pyrah came in for particularly rough treatment, Mullaney cutting and gliding the medium-pacer for five boundaries in nine balls. And before dismissing Mullaney, Adil Rashid had been hit for two sixes, one straight, the other over long-on as the batsman capitalised on his colleagues’ work.After tea Franks, too, played with far greater freedom as the innings moved from exposition to its final development. Long regarded as one of county cricket’s more valuable performers – a players’ player, if you will – Franks made 70 off 108 balls, taking his team’s total beyond the 400-mark and finally battering Gale’s bowlers into defeat. Three late wickets made not a minim of difference to the balance of the piece. Patterson, who took 3 for 74 off 37 overs was the pick of the Yorkshire attack and it is a little puzzling that this most consistent of seamers has never received any sort of England call.There was a late clatter of wickets for the Nottinghamshire supporters to enjoy too. Luke Fletcher and Harry Gurney are one of the English game’s more hostile pace duos. With the new ball and on a pitch that offers bounce and movement to those prepared to bend their backs, the pair removed Adam Lyth and Alex Lees and nightwatchman Patterson, the latter getting a touch to a Hannibal Lecter of a delivery: it was very nasty and went straight for the throat.Yorkshire still need 265 runs to avoid the follow-on. Almost every member of Chris Read’s orchestra had played their parts to perfection; there had been few duff notes. It was something for home supporters to ponder as they made their way out of North Marine Road and back to their hotels and guest houses on a tearfully lovely evening. They may place their hopes on yet another virtuoso performance with the bat from Rashid. But they cannot rely on their newly crowned maestro forever.

Umar Akmal, the Pakistan batsman, has said he needs to bat higher up the order to covert his double figures scores to three figures.

Umar Farooq30-Apr-2012Umar Akmal, the Pakistan batsman, has said he needs to bat higher up the order to covert his double figures scores to three figures. He scored his only ODI hundred three years back in Sri Lanka and has pressed for the chance to make more when Pakistan return to the country in June.Pakistan’s ODI line up is currently in transition with Umar moving around the middle order. He has been tried from No 3 to No. 7 with most of his success coming at No 6, where he has scored 935 runs in 28 matches at 40.65, and at No. 5, where his record stands at 811 in 21 matches at 40.55.But Umar believes that a rise in the order will improve his record and he is making no secret about his ambition.”It’s a matter of the batting order that I’m not able to score a hundred,” Umar told reporters in Lahore. “When I am batting down the order, sometimes I have to bat in a crisis when the top order has stumbled and sometimes I get fewer overs to bat otherwise I have the tendency to score in three figures.”Apart from the first three, Pakistan are flexible with their batting order, sending in batsmen accordingly to the state of the game. Umar said: “If I bat at the top of the order, mainly at No. 4, then it would be easy for me to extend my innings and convert my 30 and 40-odd scores to a hefty innings.”I am doing all the necessary training with the coaches in the Academy and playing club matches to apply my learning. I am building myself to get ready for the Sri Lanka series where I had a wonderful debut. I am setting my target to be the man of the series.”Umar, 21, scored his maiden ODI hundred in his third match of his career while, on the third day of his debut Test, he hit a century, becoming only the second Pakistani to score a hundred on debut away from home.He has gone on to play 63 ODIs and 16 Tests so far, but reaching a hiundred has been a rare instance for him since his hugely-impressive debut in 2009. His Test place is still uncertain though has an assured place in limited-over squad.

Jade Dernbach knows he won’t be featuring in England’s Test squad early this season, but was delighted to be able to play a part in giving the Sri Lankans a tough warm-up

Andrew McGlashan at Derby20-May-2011Jade Dernbach knows he’s unlikely to be featuring in England’s Test squad early this season, but was delighted to be able to play a part in giving the Sri Lankans a tough warm-up ahead of the series which starts next week in Cardiff. His 5 for 44 helped remove the vistiors for 266 and leave the Lions with the option of enforcing the follow-on in the morning.Having watched the Lions pile up 493 for 8, the Sri Lankan top order then subsided to 97 for 6 before lower-order resistance gave some respectability to their total. However, it will be a concern that the likes of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara only have one more innings before the Test match and Sri Lanka’s problems against a strong pace attack will have been noted.”Anything we can do to hamper their preparations is amazing,” Dernbach said. “So if we can put them on the back foot leading into that first Test that will be job done for us. The boys came out with a real intensity and it was a great effort to bowl them out in under a day.”Dernbach’s figures were boosted by clean-bowling the final two batsmen with consecutive deliveries, leaving him on a hat-trick in the second innings. The earlier job of dismantling the top order was shared with Graham Onions and Ajmal Shahzad who claimed two apiece. Shahzad is the leading contender to be named in the 12-man Test squad on Sunday in place of the injured Tim Bresnan.Much like Eoin Morgan’s 193 which set up the Lions’ strong position, Dernbach’s success is unlikely to mean very much in the short-term planning of the selectors. He is more likely to come into consideration for the one-day internationals following his late World Cup call-up, but is just keen to keep his name firmly in Geoff Miller’s thinking.”I’m just new on the scene so all I can do is put performances together and keep my name there or thereabouts,” he said. “Things are out of my hands but if I can keep performing other things will take care of themselves.”We’ve got four top-quality seams vying for one position so it’s just nice to put yourself on show and to come out with five wickets was great.”

Kumar Sangakkara has asked for teams to be given equal opportunity in Test cricket, saying the dwindling number of five-day matches Sri Lanka were playing was limiting their ambitions

Cricinfo staff22-May-2010Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan captain, has asked for teams to be given equal opportunity in Test cricket, saying the dwindling number of five-day matches Sri Lanka were playing was limiting their ambitions. Sangakkara welcomed the idea of a world Test championship and said teams should be given the chance of playing a minimum number of Tests in a year.”It’s great to have a Test championship but I believe that all sides should have an equal opportunity to play Test matches,” Sangakkara told in Florida, where Sri Lanka are playing two Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand. “This year we are lucky that India wants to come and play Test matches but the opportunity for Sri Lankan players to fulfil their Test ambitions are getting more and more limited.”Since their tour of Australia in 2007, Sri Lanka have not played a Test series outside the subcontinent. They haven’t been to South Africa for a Test tour since 2002 and the Tests in 2011 will be their first in England in five years.”Sides must be given the opportunity to play a minimum number of Test matches and the Future Tours Programme must be reorganised so some of the best sides tour more than just once in five years,” Sangakkara said. “There was once talk of playing a Test championship without Sri Lanka in the first year at a time when we were number two in the Test rankings. These are the inconsistencies they must address.”Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka batsman, echoed his captain’s views. “I think we need to think a bit more about Test cricket, you need to make sure all the teams are going to play eight to ten matches a year minimum, and then you can strike that balance,” he said. “I have only played four Test matches in my entire career in Australia; that’s in 12 years of playing.”

Several ICC officials have visited Pakistan to inspect arrangements and, it is understood, the PCB has received positive feedback

Danyal Rasool10-Jun-2024The PCB has proposed a February 19 start to the Champions Trophy next year in Pakistan. ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB has pencilled the tournament to be played from February 19 to March 9, across Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore. Karachi will host three games, including the tournament opener as well as a semi-final, while Lahore plays host to seven, including the final. The other semi-final will be one of five contests to take place at Pindi Cricket Ground.Several ICC officials have visited Pakistan to inspect arrangements to host the first ICC tournament in Pakistan since the 1996 World Cup. They include security and event officials as well as chief pitch inspector Andy Atkinson, and it is understood the PCB has received positive feedback from the ICC concerning logistics and arrangement, allowing it to press ahead with its plans.The current dates, should they be finalised, mean the last third of the tournament will he held during Ramadan, just as the knockout stage of the PSL was last year. Some knockout games in Karachi saw an extremely low turnout during Ramadan. The PCB did try and accommodate for that by moving start times to a later 9pm, though with the Champions Trophy being an ODI tournament, that will not be possible. That means large parts of games will take place during the sunrise to sunset window where players observing Ramadan cannot eat or drink.As ESPNcricinfo reported earlier, every game involving India at the tournament is slated to take place in Lahore. This means one semi-final will be moved from Karachi or Rawalpindi to Lahore should India qualify for the last four. Basing India in one city is thought to have been proposed because it avoids what could be considerable logistical and security complications around their travel. Additionally, by being based in Lahore, which is close to the Wagah border crossing between the two countries, it allows Indian fans a relatively easier option to visit.As ever the main question in the run-up to the event will surround India’s participation. The Indian team has not played in Pakistan since the Asia Cup in 2008, and there has been no bilateral series between the two since a white-ball visit by Pakistan in 2012-13. When the PCB hosted the Asia Cup last year, the workaround involved deploying a hybrid model that saw the bulk of the games – including all of India’s – take place in Sri Lanka with the final, which India won, held in Colombo. The BCCI has maintained the decision to travel to Pakistan rests in the hands of the Indian government.Every side other than India involved in the upcoming Champions Trophy has travelled to Pakistan since cricket returned to the country in 2015. Pakistan will also host an ODI tri-series featuring South Africa and New Zealand before the tournament.Pakistan are the defending champions, having won the last Champions Trophy in 2017.

Earlier, Brett Lee picked up 3 for 18 to restrict Maharajas to a sub-par total

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2023Chris Gayle’s 46-ball 57 made light work of World Giants’ chase of 137 after Brett Lee (3 for 18) bowled a game-changing penultimate over against India Maharajas on Wednesday. World Giants completed the chase with eight balls to spare to complete a routine win in Doha.Gayle was clear about his intent from the start of the innings. He smashed six boundaries in the first three overs to pile misery on Maharajas’ bowlers, and was particularly harsh on Ashok Dinda. In the sixth over, he hit him for 4, 6, 4 and 4 off consecutive deliveries.Shane Watson added to the momentum with some vintage shots in his quickfire cameo. After taking two fours off Pravin Tambe in the seventh over, he smashed stand-in India Maharajas captain Harbhajan Singh for two consecutive boundaries in the next.Tambe temporarily stalled Giants’ cruise, bowling a dream delivery to dismiss Watson as the ball beat him on the outside edge and dislodged the off bail.That dismissal, along with a few wickets as the innings progressed, forced Gayle to take a cautious approach in the chase. Having reached his half-century in 26 balls, he managed only seven in the next 20. His innings was cut short by Suresh Raina, who surprised him with a length ball that didn’t bounce much and trapped him right in front.Even though World Giants continued to lose wickets after that dismissal, cameos from Samit Patel and Morne van Wyk carried them over the line.Earlier, in the absence of their regular captain and in-form opener Gautam Gambhir, India Maharajas were desperate for a strong start. Robin Uthappa, coming off a spectacular fifty on Tuesday, did not look in control against Samit even though he had found a boundary off his second delivery. Two balls later, Samit dismissed him with an arm ball, with the batter mis-hitting it to Aaron Finch at midwicket.Raina tried to increase the scoring rate, hitting Monty Panesar for two back-to-back sixes in the eighth over. First, he picked up a back-of-a-length delivery and pulled it over deep midwicket and then stepped out to smash the next over the bowler’s head.However, Maharajas’ innings followed the pattern of solid partnerships followed by quick wickets throughout. After a 60-run stand between Raina and Manvinder Bisla, they lost Yusuf Pathan and Stuart Binny off consecutive deliveries.Irfan Pathan’s cameo of 25 off 20 balls carried them for a while but Lee’s two wickets in the 19th over restricted them to a sub-par total.

The pitches in the Ashes have made life tricky for batters and there could be a benefit of that

Andrew McGlashan07-Feb-2022Alyssa Healy believes an Ashes series where runs have been hard to come by has set her up well for the ODI World Cup in New Zealand.Healy has not been at her free-flowing best against England with the multi-format series including a pair in the Test match before a brace of hard-fought contributions in the first two ODIs.It is those two performances that have left her confident that her game is in a good place for next month’s World Cup with Australia set to fly to New Zealand two days after the Ashes finishes to undertake their ten-day quarantine.”Probably the best thing that could have happened is these two wickets being a little bit tricky,” Healy said. “The English bowlers are really skillful, they are using the seam really nicely, and not one batter has really flourished in this ODI part of the series. Moons [Beth Mooney] played a beautiful knock but it took her a long while to get going and knowing that making those tough runs early has been the best thing for me.Related

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“Means my shape is good, I’m getting in good positions to keep the really good balls out, and the last two dismissals think I’ve found ways to get myself out which is weird tick of the box if that makes any sense.”Australia toured New Zealand last year and played three ODIs in early April which is the time of the year the World Cup will conclude. Healy made 65, 44 and 46 in those three matches.”Feel like with the conditions [against England] not being perfect for batting it’s been a great test of exactly where things are at and I’m really excited as to how things are tracking,” she said. “Once we get over to New Zealand, if the wickets are similar I know I’m in a good position to dig in but if they are flat I know I’m in a great place to hit the ball like I normally do.”With one game to go of Australia’s home international summer, Healy’s top score is 77 which she made in the first ODI against India in late September. India’s seamers performed really well in that multi-format series while England’s have also caused plenty of challenges during the Ashes with Healy feeling the bowlers have held sway all season.”The wickets here have been really conducive to seam bowling all summer,” she said. “Hasn’t felt like we’ve had a real flat track. From that point of view, I feel like our group and me, in particular, is really well prepared for whatever the wickets might throw at us [at the World Cup].”Healy is also confident that the World Cup will see the best of Ellyse Perry who played the central role in the Ashes-winning victory in Melbourne with three wickets and a well-constructed 40 when most other batters struggled. Perry was left out of the T20Is at the start of the Ashes but remains a formidable ODI and Test cricketer.”That six she hit over mid-off was a shot I’ve never really seen Pez hit before with that shape and flair,” Healy said. “That’s really exciting signs for us leading into a big world tournament that she’s hitting her straps at the right time and probably a bit of concern for other sides around the world.”