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Lanning embraces Cup pressure

Australia out to continue tremendous record of success at next month's Women's World Cup

Meg Lanning admits Australia’s outstanding record in world tournaments adds pressure to succeed heading into this year’s World Cup in England, but the Southern Stars skipper is confident her team will thrive under the weight of expectation.

Australia will be out to defend their 2013 50-over title when the tournament gets underway in England on June 24, but they face stiff competition in what’s looming as the tightest World Cup race yet.

Since the inaugural World Cup was held in England in 1973, Australia have claimed six of a possible 11 titles, taking home the trophy in 1978, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2005 and 2013.

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Add to that their three World T20 titles – out of a possible five – in 2010, 2012 and 2014, and their current World No.1 ranking across all three formats, and expectations will be high when Lanning’s team embarks for the United Kingdom in a little over a month’s time.

"There’s always pressure heading into a really big tournament, and the fact we’ve been successful in the past I guess adds to that,” Lanning told cricket.com.au.

"But internally as a group we’ve got high expectations as well and we put as much pressure on ourselves as anyone else does.

"We’re working hard to be the best we can and when it comes time to playing in the World Cup, hopefully we can put together some good cricket out there."

Image Id: 8420447214944DE99E4DD8A1D95677A9 Image Caption: Australia won the 2013 World Cup // Getty

While No.2 ranked England have the home advantage, Australia head in with a target firmly on their backs after romping to the inaugural ICC Women’s Championship last year, winning 18 of 21 ODIs across the two-and-a-half year round-robin competition.

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Australia have not lost a one-day series since the 2013 Ashes in England – a winning run they continued in March when they overcame a determined New Zealand to keep their 17-year hold on the trans-Tasman Rose Bowl trophy.

But that success won’t equal a lack of hunger for Australia, leg-spinner Kristen Beams says, with the Southern Stars still hurting from their World T20 final defeat at the hands of West Indies in April last year.

Image Id: 75D7B86671094D68B8ED920D86B46BE6 Image Caption: Australia won the inaugural ICC Championship // Getty

"It’s an amazing thing for us to be a part of a 50-over World Cup,” Beams told cricket.com.au.

"They don’t come around often.

"We have unfinished business after the World T20 – to be in a losing final there was heartbreaking and everyone has got something to prove.

"We want to prove we’re the No.1 country.

"For someone like me who hasn’t played in a 50-over World Cup before, if I am lucky enough to be selected to be part of something like this, it would be amazing.

"There’s so much history and Australia’s been very successful, so we feel that sense of responsibility to win it as well."

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Just 50 days remain until Australia’s first pool match against West Indies in Taunton, with Australia’s 21-player preliminary squad currently undergoing an intensive three-week training camp at Brisbane’s Bupa National Cricket Centre.

When the camp concludes at the end of this week, Australia’s selectors will convene to select the final 15-player group to travel to England for the tournament.

Australia’s dominance in world cricket


50-over World Cup wins


Australia: 6 (1978, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2005, 2013)


England: 3 (1973, 1993, 2009)


New Zealand: 1 (2000)


World T20 wins


Australia: 3 (2010, 2012, 2014)


England: 1 (2009)


West Indies: 1 (2016)


Ashes series wins


Australia: 8


England: 6


Drawn: 7


ICC Women’s Championship


Australia: 1 (2014-2016)


Rose Bowl (Australia v NZ)*:


Australia: 12


New Zealand: 0


Drawn: 1


*since name change in 2001


Current ICC rankings


1. Australia – 128 points


2. England - 122


3. New Zealand - 119


4. India - 111


5. West Indies - 108


6. South Africa - 90


7. Pakistan - 76


8. Sri Lanka - 67


9. Bangladesh - 42


10. Ireland - 34