White Ferns Set Sights on Dual World Cup Triumph

New Zealand's women's cricket team, already holding the T20 World Cup title, has commenced a rigorous training camp in Chennai. The preparations, aimed at clinching the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, involve tackling both the T20 and 50-over formats, a rare milestone in cricket.

Under the guidance of head coach Ben Sawyer and assistant Craig McMillan, ten New Zealand players are participating in the two-week camp at Chennai Super Kings academy. "It's currently winter in New Zealand, with no cricket happening," explained Sawyer, highlighting the importance of this pre-World Cup training.

Including established names like Jess Kerr and Georgia Plimmer, as well as emerging talents such as Izzy Sharp, the camp focuses on acclimatizing to subcontinental conditions. Inputs from High Performance Sport New Zealand and dietitian Dr. Kirsty Fairbairn are being integrated into their strategy.

"We've trained intensely, allowing the players to naturally adapt to the heat," Sawyer explained. With three one-day games in Chennai, followed by matches in Dubai and World Cup warm-ups against South Africa and India, the team's exposure to similar playing conditions is expected to be hugely beneficial.

Starting their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 1 in Indore, New Zealand aims to successfully navigate early challenges and build momentum.

(With inputs from agencies.)