Sophie Devine is playing in her ninth T20 World Cup, this time in the UAE. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
As she heads into her ninth T20 World Cup, White Ferns captain Sophie Devine has allowed herself a brief moment of reflection - and admits to a "little bit of emotion".
Devine and teammate Suzie Bates were on the park when New Zealand played in the inaugural women's T20 World Cup in England in 2009. They lost to England in the final and a year later in the West Indies, Australia beat the Ferns by just three runs. The two youngsters then are the team veterans now but still form much of the side's backbone, ahead of their opening match against India in Dubai on Saturday morning (NZT).
"Taking a step back, I am really proud of being part of this women's cricket journey, and from the first T20 World Cup back in 2009 to where it is now it's unbelievable to think of the growth of the game," Devine said on Friday.
"That is in so many areas, not just on on the park but all the improvements I have seen off the field as well, in terms of contracts, financial reimbursement and things like that - they have been massive for this game as well.
"To be a part of it for so long is really cool, but I am parking that, now that the tournament is about to kick off (for us).
"I've got a singular focus on wanting to win this World Cup. Post this tournament, hopefully with the trophy at hand, I'll be able to focus on that time, but for now the focus is on each and every game."
It will be a shock if Devine does get her hands on the trophy.
The White Ferns have been dominated this year by powerhouses England and Australia. England won all five of their home T20s in July - and beat the Ferns again in a lead-up game last week - while Australia had a 3-0 clean sweep over them last month.
The White Ferns will be hoping for plenty of celebration in the UAE. Photo: Photosport
But Devine is looking beyond the scoreboard and it was giving her hope.
"Putting results aside, I'm really happy with where this group is at. We have been trending in the right direction, we've certainly grown a lot as a group."
She said it has been a tough six to eight months, but added that was what happened when you were regularly playing the best two teams in the world.
Given how quickly momentum can change in T20 matches, Devine said the players have been concentrating on playing consistent cricket for longer periods of time.
"We showed glimpses against both England and Australia that we can put them under pressure, but to beat these best teams you need to be putting them under pressure for long periods of time and make them make mistakes."
The tournament venue was changed at a late stage to the UAE because of unrest in Bangladesh, but has not changed the likelihood that spin bowling will be a dominant factor in the tournament.
Indeed, that was the case in the first two matches in Sharjah on Thursday, with Pakistan (116) beating Sri Lanka (85-9) and Bangladesh (119-7) beating Scotland (103-7).
Devine said the low batting scores were expected, with the White Ferns think tank reckoning scores around the 120-130 mark will be the norm. "It's about how can we go above that when we are going well and also how do we defend that.''
The White Ferns have a spin contingent of Melie Kerr, Fran Jones, Eden Carson and Leigh Kasperek, which can stretch to five with Bates an option.
"We think we have all bases covered as far as how these wickets are going to play. But it's certainly been a bit of a catchphrase from a lot of teams since being here, it's going to be the side that can adapt and adjust as quickly as possibly to those conditions. Obviously the heat is going to play a bit part, but also the dew can have an impact as well."
On the batting side, Devine said the team had identified patches of play where their strike rate has ebbed and were focused on doing better, including being creative and brave with shot-making choices.
"I think this group is best prepared as we can be heading into a pinnacle event. I think we have people in form with the both the bat and ball and we have got very clear plans, which when we execute we know we can win against any side in the competition."
New Zealand is in Group A with Australia, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Group B contains Bangladesh, England, Scotland, South Africa and West Indies.
The top two teams from each group qualify for the semi-finals.
