Women’s cricket World Cup 2017, Australia looking for pace bowlers to step up

THE Aussies may be going into the women’s cricket World Cup as favourites but they know there are parts of their game that need improvement if they’re to bring it home.

Ellyse Perry talks to coach Matthew Mott at a training session. Pic: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

THE Aussies may be going into the women’s cricket World Cup as favourites but they know there are parts of their game that need improvement if they’re to bring it home.

Australia is ranked number one in the world but will face tough challenges from hosts England, New Zealand and nations like India, South Africa and West Indies.

The addition of newcomers Sarah Aley and Belinda Vakarewa help bolster the Australian pace line-up, which coach Matthew Mott said is an area he wants his team to lift in.

“It is the missing piece in our jigsaw at the moment,” Mott said from the team’s base in Southampton.

“If you track our success over the last couple of years it’s been based on really good spin and closing down the board and some pretty formidable batting line up.

Belinda Vakarewa is in line to make her debut during the World Cup. Pic: Phil Hillyard

“If we can get the pacies over the line and make some early in roads it will go a long way to completing us as a team.”

Aley was a standout during the last WBBL season and is line to make her national debut at age 34. Vakarewa is the other end of the age scale but has impressed during her time with Sydney Thunder and NSW Breakers.

“They’re two opposite ends of the scale, Sarah is a well-performed player over the last decade who has got her opportunity,” Mott said.

“She’s got a crack at probably what is seen as the twilight of her career but she’s come in fresh, she’s bouncing around and she’s added a lot of energy to our group already.

Sarah Aley impressed during WBBL02. Pic: Paul Kane/Getty Images

“Then we’ve got Belinda, she’s very raw, she’s got pace, we’re very excited about her as an athlete you can see in the last six weeks how she’s grown physically. she looks like she belongs already.”

With practice matches scheduled against New Zealand in the lead in to their first game against the West Indies on Monday, June 26, Mott wants to see his players stepping up now to finalise the final XI, especially the middle order.

“We’ve put a lot of pressure on those guys to deliver, Villani, Healy, Blackwell, Haynes, in that middle order they’ve got a huge role to play,” he said.

“We’re really close to nailing it and we keep talking about the perfect game, there’s a couple of times when we got really close, if our top order keeps setting it up like that it’s only a matter of time until we start getting those finishing touches as well.”