Five-time champions Australia and last edition’s runners-up New Zealand are expected to start their Group B Women's World Cup campaign on winning note at different venues in Odisha on Friday. The Aussies will take on underdogs Pakistan here at Barabati Stadium, while the Kiwis will meet South Africa at Driems ground in Tangi, 20kms from here.
Led by all-rounder Jodie Fields, the Aussies are flying high after trouncing West Indies and host India in their two warm-up games by 135 runs and five wickets respectively. The biggest strength of the team is that it has vast experience in the game. The team is keen to reclaim the World Cup after a gap of eight years. If they accomplish the feat, it will be their second title in a span of six months, the first coming in the T20 World Cup.
Pakistan qualified for the World Cup on the basis of their impressive showing in the World Cup qualifiers in 2011, where they finished runners-up to the West Indies. Staying and practising at Barabati Stadium since their arrival in India, the Pak team has become familiar with the local conditions. Captain Sana Mir believes their knowledge about the conditions will be a big advantage for them in the opening match.
In the two warm-up matches Pakistan played against the Odisha Women's XI, Mir and her teammates won the first one by 95 runs but lost the second by four wickets. However, Mir is not bothered about the defeat and looks forward to give a good fight to the Aussies in the opening match.
“We tried different combination in both warm-up games. Losing the warm-up is not a worry and we are highly motivated to give our best performance in the World Cup,” she said at a pre-match media conference here on Thursday.
Kiwis, who won the World Cup title once in 2000, are reckoned as the No 2 team in the group. The team consists of a number of in-form and experienced players including captain Suzie Bates. After losing their opening warm-up match against India by seven wickets, they bounced back to upset defending champions England by 13 runs in the second practice match.
On the other hand, South Africa team has been struggling in India by losing both their warm-up games. Overall, Australia and New Zealand are expected to emerge as the top two team in the group league and qualify for the Super Six stage.
The result of the match between Pakistan and South Africa is most likely to determine the third qualifier from the Group B. All the four teams had their practice sessions on Thursday before the four captains spoke about their chances at a press conference here.