Veteran Devine ready for ICC World Cup
- Dave Worsley
- Sep 24
- 2 min read
New Zealand White Ferns cricket captain Sophie Devine is excited about the latest edition of hte Cricket World Cup, this one a 50 over contest.
The 36-year-old was captain of the New Zealand team when they won the T-20 version last year.
LATEST HEADLINES:
"It's still quite an emotional thing to admit but with the young talent coming up through our squad right now, I can't help but feel excited about our World Cup squad," she said.
"Everyone’s been putting in the hard yards which has been pleasing to see. The likes of our younger ones, in Eden Carson and Izzy Gaze, they’ve really stepped into their own having been involved with the White Ferns for a couple of years now. I’m excited to see what they will bring to the tournament.
The older heads like Maddy Green, she’s been excellent and really taken her game to the next level. Brooke Halliday is another really important part of our team. Having that left hander in the line up always makes it a bit difficult for the opposition."
Devine believes there's a number of teams which could win the title including New Zealand.
"It's evident that this tournament will show the new blood on show in New Zealand as we look to clinch the title for the first time since 2000.
Every team will possess a different challenge, but we know the defending champions Australia are going to be pretty tough to beat. Playing them first up will be a great start to the tournament.
India at home are also a huge threat, in terms of the support that they have and the depth of their group, and Sri Lanka as well, we’ve seen that playing at home is a real strength for them. Those three teams are certainly going to be difficult to come up against."
The White Ferns play India A in their first practice match this week before their first game of the tournament in the evening Wednesday 1 October against Australia.
It is expected that Amelia Kerr could be a star for New Zealand again having excelled at the last T20 World Cup and also in Women's IPL
*Quotes from ICC Cricket World Cup
