(Photo ICC)
Isabella Gaze insists holders New Zealand have moved on quickly from their defeat against the West Indies as they prepare to take on Sri Lanka in Southampton.
Gaze impressed with a 29-ball 39 for the White Ferns in their opener but a string of dropped catches proved costly as Shemaine Campbelle blasted an unbeaten 90 to consign the reigning champions to a seven-wicket defeat.
An immediate response will be crucial if New Zealand are to defend their crown and Gaze is backing her side to provide one.
“We all know that that was not our standard in the field,” she said. “We’ve trusted our skill in the past and we know it’s not a lack of skill or a lack of effort, it’s just one of those nights.
“Cricket can be tough like that. You can really underperform one night and the next game can be a blinder in the field. We know we’ve got to move on from that. We’re really confident going into the next game.
“We’ve got four more games to go and if we win all those, we’ve got a great shot at the semis.
“You have got to park it and move on, get up for the next game and then after that, we can focus on the next.”
New Zealand (ICC T20I Ranking: 4) and Sri Lanka (ICC T20I Ranking: 7) drew 1-1 in a bilateral T20I series last year, with Chamari Athapaththu in the runs on that occasion.
Gaze is well aware of her opposite number’s strengths at the top of the order while she is also braced for a stern test from Sri Lanka’s attack.
“They’ve got some quality bowlers, so we’ve really had a focus in the nets today with a few actions and how we can attack their bowling attack,” she said.
“And then obviously Chamari Athapaththu is dangerous with the bat. We’ve got to take every game as its own and get up for the occasion. And yeah, we’ve got some key players to keep an eye on tomorrow.”
Sri Lanka are also searching for their first victory of the competition after slipping to an 87-run defeat against England on the opening night.
Vishmi Gunaratne, who will be charged with setting the tone with the bat alongside Athapaththu, is backing her side to give a better account of themselves against the Kiwis.
“Of course England was a tough game,” she said. “That’s the nature of a T20 World Cup.
“We didn’t do well in our three departments. We worked on that the other day and we are going to give a good fight.
“As an opener, I should adjust to the wickets and I should have some patience in the English wickets. And then I can go aggressively and give a good start for my team.
“T20 is a very fast game and none of our three departments did well in the last match.
“We have had meetings, discussed and planned the game. I think we’ll do something good in the coming match.”
Lauren Bell: Perfect way to inspire the next generation
Lauren Bell hopes to keep providing inspiration to the next generation as England prepare for their second match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup against Ireland.
The seamer has been one of the faces of the competition, taking part in a Vogue photo shoot ahead of the tournament while she has also adorned advertising boards at Piccadilly Circus.
A successful stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore, who won this year’s WPL, helped grow Bell’s Instagram following to more than two million and next in her sights are Ireland, who the hosts face in Southampton on Tuesday.
“It’s been cool,” she said. “I guess it is all part of the job now. It’s something that’s rapidly evolved over the last few years.
“It’s another way of getting eyeballs on the game and trying to inspire young girls and be those role models that maybe we didn’t have so much growing up because there wasn’t as much accessibility for it.
“I’m really passionate about having that for younger girls and inspiring them to take on cricket.”
England began their bid for glory on home soil with an 87-run victory over Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on Friday night, inspired by Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s century, while Ireland were beaten by Scotland in their opener.
Another passionate home crowd is expected at the Hampshire Bowl and Bell hopes her side continue to shine in front of their own fans.
Bell added: “It’s incredible. I think obviously the crowd at Edgbaston on Friday night just summed it all up really.
“They were so supportive, properly behind us. It gives you that extra boost.
“It gives you extra nerves, but also extra excitement and pushes you. We experienced it in the Ashes in ’23 and after Friday night, I’m pretty confident that we’ll experience it throughout the next few weeks as well.”
The 25-year-old will again be charged with setting the tone with the ball before returning to play a key role at the death – responsibilities she feels she thrives on.
“I love it,” she said. “I think it brings out the best in me having a really clear role within the team.
“I love taking the first over of the game and trying to set the team up and get us off to a flyer.”
Ireland are looking to bounce back after a disappointing start against Scotland and know what it takes to beat England, having done so for the first time in T20I cricket in September 2024.
Orla Prendergast’s 80 from 51 balls was pivotal on that occasion and she feels Ireland focusing on their own strengths will be key as they seek a repeat.
“It was a pretty good start for them (England),” she said.
“But at the same time, I think you can do all the performance analysis you want, but it’s about your own players and your own plans. So yeah, we’ll just be regrouping to take them on.
“We need to build partnerships with the bat. Plans with the ball were pretty good (against Scotland) so I don’t think there’s a huge amount of change there. We just need one or two players to get in and go big.”
