Australia’s captain Alyssa Healy expressed her delight with the team’s experience and learnings from their tour of Bangladesh, emphasizing the significance of these gains as they prepare for the T20 World Cup later this year.
Bangladesh’s bowlers presented a test to Australia’s captain and team in difficult conditions.
With a 77-run victory in the last Twenty20 International, Australia accomplished a clean sweep of the tour—their first in bilateral cricket—and their bowling assault held Bangladesh to less than 100 runs for the fourth time. Healy thought the tour fulfilled a lot of requirements, and they will return in late September to defend the T20 World Cup title.
“Everyone in the squad is taking something home that they can work on for when we come back here in September, so it’s been hugely worthwhile for us,” Healy stated. “The results went our way but from a big picture perspective, and what we’re building towards in September, October, I think we got everything we possibly could out of this series.”
At the end of the tour, two players who had been out of the game for a long time—Tayla Vlaeminck and Sophie Molineux—won player of the match and series trophies, respectively. Both batsmen all but guaranteed their spots at the World Cup: Vlaeminck concluded the T20I series with six wickets at an average of 8.33, while Molineux got a career-best 3 for 12.
“It’s obviously great to have someone like Tay back, she’s a real point of different within world cricket, with the sheer pace she bowls with, and Soph Molineux’s consistency is outstanding so they’re both real attributes to our side,” Healy stated.
It’s also been quite satisfying that we’ve had various players of the series and players of the match across the two series. Everyone is taking advantage of possibilities and rising to the occasion, which is great.”
Despite the fact that all six games featured impressive winning margins, Healy believed her team had been under siege from the host team. They had to fight hard to post 155 from being 98 for 5 in the last Twenty20 International, having been 48 for 4 and 146 for 7 in the first ODI before the bottom order propelled them to a formidable total.
“In particular with the ball they [Bangladesh] challenged our batting line-up,” she stated. “At the World Cup, they’ll pose a serious threat. The team will have a distinct advantage playing at home, and I believe they will go somewhat unnoticed. They’ll pose a serious threat to some of the elite teams.”
Healy was ready for more of the same at the World Cup, but he did not anticipate the early-tournament pitches to produce the tremendous spin witnessed at times in this match. The weather, particularly the heat, also put pressure on the visitors. Australia will play two matches on this tour, one each in Dhaka and Sylhet.
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“We’ve heard it [the heat] will be even worse come September, October so we’ll have to wait and see what it throws at us there,” Healy stated. “Naturally being an ICC event, I think the wickets will start out being really good then probably tire throughout the tournament.”
Legspinner Alana King and seamer Kim Garth, who claimed five wickets in her two ODIs, were left out of the T20I series as Australia fielded just twelve players in three matches. King hasn’t participated in a T20I since the previous World Cup in South Africa, but she will probably continue to fill Georgia Wareham’s backup role. For this tour, the notable absence was the seasoned Jess Jonassen, while Darcie Brown was unable to participate due to a stress fracture in her foot.
The central contract list will be revealed early next week, and in the meanwhile, the players will have some time off after an intense season that includes the WBBL, the WPL, and series against the West Indies, India, and South Africa.
In September, they will play their first T20I series against New Zealand before heading into the World Cup and the WBBL that follows immediately. Then, in December, they host India, and just before Christmas, they visit New Zealand in preparation for the multiformat Ashes in January.
“This is a fantastic break for us. Our crew is eager to return home, enjoy a little vacation, and use this time to rejuvenate and prepare for the conclusion of the year, which is a crucial summer for us, according to Healy.
