QUEENSTOWN: New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine has said that it will be an honour of a lifetime for her when she leads the country in the upcoming 50-over Women's World Cup.
The Women's World Cup will be played from March 4-April 3 in New Zealand. The hosts will lock horns against West Indies in the tournament opener.
"It is the honour of a lifetime to be captaining New Zealand as we host the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022 and leading my side out for the first game will be an experience I will never forget and an opportunity I never thought I would have. I've been fortunate to have played across a number of World Cups and know just how special each tournament is. Playing in New Zealand is massive for us as a team; we've spoken at length about how privileged and grateful we are to be playing at home, particularly in the world we live in at the current time," Devine wrote in her column for ICC.
"Looking back, it was an incredible achievement from the 2000 WHITE FERNS to win the World Cup at home. It certainly inspired several players in our current team, and we hope we can also inspire a new generation of cricketers both at home and around the world. We all know it's not every day you get to play a marquee tournament in your own backyard. It will be great to showcase our incredible culture and country - we can't wait to welcome all the teams to Aotearoa," she added.
New Zealand is currently locking horns against India in a five-match series. The hosts have gained an unassailable 4-0 lead and the final match will be played on Thursday.
Devine also said that she sees New Zealand playing an important role in ensuring growth of women's cricket.
"Playing at home does come with added pressure and responsibility but knowing the country is behind us and will be supporting us is a great motivation. The WHITE FERNS will definitely be feeding off the infectious energy of our fans and, hopefully, it can give us an edge over the other teams. This tournament will break new ground for women's cricket, firstly as Bangladesh become the 12th team to compete in an ICC Women's Cricket World Cup," said Devine.
"Bangladesh and Thailand show how the women's game is continuing to grow and the importance of the ICC Women's Championship which I am happy to see expand to 10 teams. I see us playing an important role in ensuring that we grow the game. Having stronger teams and more competitive cricket can only be a positive thing for the women's game. The coming year is huge for women's cricket as it makes its debut at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July-August and with the ICC Women's T20 World Cup scheduled for early next year in South Africa. It is super exciting to kick-off a huge period for women's cricket and we want to put performances out there that both ourselves and the country can be proud of," she added.