England batter wary of power-packed West Indies, whom they face after opening defeat to Australia
Danny Wyatt believes there is only way left for England women after coming off proud in a tough opening Test against World Cup favorites Australia. However, she admits that they can't take anything against the West Indies team that started their campaign with a thrilling first day win over hosts New Zealand.
"We're all really confident," Wyatt said. "We played some great cricket the other night against the Aussies. Obviously we're disappointed not to win, but there's a lot of positives that we can take away from that game. Especially with our batting. If we can get two more With two can bowling and batting, it will put us in a good position for the rest of the tournament."
Tuesday's match in Dunedin could prove to be crucial for both teams in a tight group stage, with only four of the eight teams making it to the semi-finals.
Another West Indies win put Stephanie Taylor's team firmly on course for the last four, while leaving England to play catch-up with back-to-back defeats. However, Wyatt has confidence in her teammates, at least Nate Sciver, his century against Australia, whom he considers to be the best all-rounder in the world.
With 298 for 8 in response to Australia's tight target of 311, England kept some of the ghosts of their Ashes campaign, in which they failed to cross 200 in any of the three ODIs. And Sciver was the center and center of his efforts throughout the night, claiming two of Australia's three wickets, before chasing with a 109* off 85 balls.
"He's still as cool as a cucumber," Wyatt said. "So quiet our Natty, nothing distracts him. He's ready to train this afternoon and then again for tomorrow's game. I've always said he's the best all-rounder in the world. Her and Katherine [Brunt] ] Together, we are very lucky to have these two on our team."
"In training and in matches, the net is always so quiet and calm, that spreads around the team. The second night he bowled ten overs, was very busy at midwicket and extra cover, and then went out and scored a 100 off 80 balls, So hopefully she can maintain her good form. She is amazing."
More may be required to keep West Indies at bay, given the power-packed nature of their line-up. In his three-run win over New Zealand, Hayley Matthews made a star turn by scoring 119 runs in 128 balls, which included 16 fours and a six. But it was Deandra Dottin's surprising final over that sealed the competition, as she took the last three for two in her first bowling since September.
"He has some great hitters in his team, as well as a great bowling attack," Wyatt said. "Dotin' it's been a while since I've been around. I'm getting older now, but he's a game changer. Matthews can take the game away from you too. But we'll go out there like we did the other day - well and Cool. Everyone knows their role, hope we have fun and they get two points.
"With The Hundred and the Big Bash, a lot of us have played with and against Dottin, Hayley Matthews, Stephanie Taylor," she said. "So we know who we are going to come up against. We are definitely up for the challenge, hopefully tomorrow the gods of cricket will be on our side."
Despite the loss to Australia, England's mood in their opening match was much more upbeat than the disappointment that came with the Ashes shock. Most of them have been attributed to the R&R's post-quarantine a week in Queenstown, and Wyatt believes the vibe has followed him to the South Island and his new base in Dunedin.
"There's a good feeling around the group in a minute," she said. "It's a World Cup. We played some great cricket against Australia. And we're really happy with the way we played. So there aren't a lot of sad faces around. The sun is finally here in Dunedin, so We'll go for it, have breakfast, enjoy the sights, then really focus for tomorrow's match.
"This is my fourth time in New Zealand, which is incredible," she said. "For some of us, this may be our last World Cup so we have to go out there and enjoy every minute, and accept the challenges. In many ways, it was good to play the first Australian team. Now we We can focus on all the other teams and hopefully get on a roll, because there are a lot of positive things going on from that match against the Aussies that night.
"Everyone seemed so comfortable, and it was this small difference. You look back and think, if I had only stopped four - or whatever - it would have been a different game. But this is a World Cup." You're going to play different teams in every match. And it's about getting ready for that team, preparing well and taking it game by game."