Stage set for high-profile England v Australia match
8 July 2017
Australia will be hoping for a return to fitness of captain Meg Lanning as the Southern Stars side prepares to take on host England off the back of four straight wins in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017.
Lanning struck an unbeaten 152 against Sri Lanka and scored 48 against New Zealand but missed the last match against Pakistan.
Ellyse Perry, Elyse Villani and Alyssa Healy all made half-centuries in her absence but the influential skipper will be desperate to face fierce rival England.
And Rachael Haynes, who led Australia in Lannings’ absence, is expecting a tight contest against the host.
“We always have some good contests against England. There will be pressure and expectation on them so we just have to go out there and play our own game,” she said.
“I hope it’s a great spectacle for everyone coming along to the match, we’ve had some really great contests in the past and we’re looking forward to the rivalry.
“One of the great strengths of our side is that we don’t just rely on any one player. We’ve seen that throughout the tournament and that’s a real positive of this team.
“Meg [Lanning] has been carrying a little bit of an injury, we knew this could be a possibility going into the tournament. But we have many leaders in this team.
“If Meg is fit she’ll play so I think it’s a day-by-day proposition at the moment.”
Another good pitch in Bristol could see a run-fest on Sunday from two sides who have not struggled with the bat so far during the World Cup in England.
The host has seen four batters make hundreds in their four games with centurions Tammy Beaumont and Sarah Taylor making a record-breaking 275-run partnership against South Africa.
Nat Sciver and captain Heather Knight have also made tons for England and Beaumont wants England to focus on its own strengths against Australia.
"Australia are playing good cricket but we'll focus on ourselves,” she added.
“We've seen four or five batters contribute so we'll look for one of them to step up, or even down the order.
“We'll focus on what we're doing, we know the Aussies pretty well. They are a good all-round outfit but it will be who plays best on the day.
"We are working on it (fielding) in training, we've not said we are where we want to be with (our fielding). We're trying to do all the right things. We'll keep working on it.”
Squads:
England: Heather Knight (captain), Tamsin Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Alex Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Beth Langston, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield and Danielle Wyatt.
Australia: Meg Lanning (captain), Sarah Aley, Kristen Beams, Nicole Bolton, Alex Blackwell, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Belinda Vakarewa, Elyse Villani and Amanda-Jade Wellington
Tickets are available to purchase from the ground on the day from the Ticket Office at the College Road entrance, off Ashley Down Road. Tickets are priced at £10 for adults, £5 for students (aged between 17 and 23 years-old) and £2 for under-16s.
Follow this link for information about getting to the ground
