Confident Sophie Devine eyes home World Cup title
New Zealand captain Sophie Devine is remaining hopeful that her side can emulate the White Ferns team from 22 years ago and claim the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup title on home soil.
Seamer Emily Drumm successfully captained New Zealand to a narrow four-run victory over Australia in the final of the 2000 edition of the tournament and Devine wants to match that feat when the 50-over showcase gets underway next month.
The Kiwis are currently ranked fourth on the ICC Women's Team Rankings, but the advantage of playing at home certainly has Devine's team in the mix to claim a second World Cup title.
"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 said.
"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."
The White Ferns are currently battling it out in a five-match ODI series against India and open their 2022 World Cup campaign against the West Indies in Mount Maunganui on March 4.
All eight World Cup teams have already flown into New Zealand and Devine is excited about having so many different countries on display at the tournament.
"We are very grateful to all the teams for making sacrifices to join us for what will hopefully be an exciting and hard-fought tournament,” Devine said.
"It has been a tough time for everyone over the past couple of years and this World Cup is a chance for us to put a smile on people’s faces and unite fans around the world in the sport we love.
"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."
New Zealand squad: Sophie Devine (c), Amy Satterthwaite (vc), Suzie Bates, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Frankie Mackay, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu