Melbourne (Australia), September 26 (ANI): Australian captain Alyssa Healy said the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE will be an exciting event as the team has several young players who are full of enthusiasm to play. She also named some young faces to watch out for in the competition.

The tournament will start on October 3.

Reigning champions Australia will open their tournament with a match against Sri Lanka in Sharjah on October 5.

Healy believes the younger players of Australia’s excellent women’s team can continue the team’s tradition as one of the best in the sport.

Taking over from the legendary Meg Lanning who retired from international cricket last year, Healy leads a group ready to defend the title they have held since 2018 and have won in three tournaments.

In 159 T20Is, Healy has scored 2987 runs at an average of 25.31 and a strike rate of 129.47, with 100 and 17 fifties. Her highest score in this format is 148.

The challenge this time around for Australia, who are seeking a seventh T20 World Cup title and fourth in a row, is twofold. The new venue with different conditions in the UAE will pose its own set of questions as the team has to push and evolve, with a younger group shouldering greater responsibilities.

Australia have always been a step ahead, though. Five members of the 14-strong squad are aged 25 or under, although all have extensive international experience, suggesting a group always keen to improve on what was already a world champion group.

Looking ahead and thinking about the challenges ahead, Healy says he has no “real expectations” for the group, but is prepared for the remaining nine teams and ready to knock them off their pedestal.

“All 10 teams have a chance to win and with the overseas conditions for many of the teams, it will be really interesting to see how things unfold,” Healy said, as quoted by the ICC.

“Playing in the UAE is a new experience for our group. Only a few of us have been there to train or play practice games, so it’s a new place to see, which is exciting.” “The conditions are a bit unfamiliar; however, I feel we are well prepared to handle whatever happens,” she concluded.

With a squad of admirable quality and depth at their disposal, the side will be given little respite for the opposition over the 20 overs of the Australian innings, with all-rounders such as Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham and Sophie Molineux potentially playing in positions seven to nine.

Sutherland already has 34 T20I caps under his belt, while Healy has identified 22-year-old and 21-year-old batsman Phoebe Litchfield as players to watch in the UAE.

“I’m looking forward to seeing our group at this competition. The most exciting aspect of our team at this tournament is our young players,” Healy said.

“It’s super exciting to watch them and they’ve had some international experience over the last few seasons so they’re ready to go. Of course it helps to have some old, experienced heads around to steer us in the right direction but it’s quite cool to watch the next generation play.”“I would suggest keeping an eye on Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield in particular during this tournament,” she concluded.

Healy looked back at the tournament’s highlights, expressing her pride in representing her country on the big stage.

“Representing our country (in the World Cup) means a lot to us and we have created a lot of great memories from this tournament,” Healy said, as quoted by the ICC.

“Winning the T20 World Cup on home turf in 2020 in particular was a huge achievement for many in our group. Playing the final at the MCG in front of 86,174 was an incredible experience.

“Winning the T20 World Cup is really tough – it’s a battle of the best against the best and whoever is more consistent and capitalises on those little moments along the way will be able to get the job done,” she concluded.

Having prepared for the tournament with a 3-0 series opener against New Zealand on home soil, Healy allowed herself some rest over the winter, watching several of her teammates compete in various domestic T20 leagues played overseas during the Australian winter.

Reflecting on the progress made in the women’s game since her international debut in 2010, the wicketkeeper/batsman says the freedom “To be able to play cricket all year round or not play anything else is amazing and allows the players to prepare individually in the way they want,” the wicketkeeper-batsman said.

“It’s great to see so many of our players enjoying their cricket and ready for the World Cup. We’re going into this World Cup with a really well-rounded group and a strong squad of players. I’m looking forward to being a part of it,” she concluded. (ANI)