Aussies in sunny state of mind ahead of WWC

Australia captain Meg Lanning says her team is leaving no stone unturned as they prepare for their bid at a record seventh Women’s World Cup title in the United Kingdom next month.

By the time Australia board their flight for London on June 10, the 15-player squad will have spent a combined five weeks together across two training camps since April 24, where they have been making full use of the year-round Queensland sunshine and elite facilities at Brisbane’s Bupa National Cricket Centre.

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This week, the Southern Stars have headed slightly further north to the Sunshine Coast, where they will spend their final week of training at Maroochydore Cricket Club going through their paces in intra-squad matches and racking up some valuable time in the middle.

"We’ve been here (on the Sunshine coast) a couple of times now and each time we’ve found the facilities amazing, the hospitality is great and the sun is out as well,” Lanning said on Monday.

"It gives us the perfect preparation for the World Cup.

"We’re heading towards match scenarios now, we’ll play a 40-over intra-squad match today.

"We’ve done a lot of training in the nets and on specific skill work, but now it’s time to get into the games, which is what we all love.

"There’s going to be some great competition out there."

Australia will also head to the UK one week early to spend extra time adjusting to the local conditions during a final training camp in Southampton, where they’ll also meet New Zealand in an unofficial warm-up match before their first tour game on June 20.

"We think (this preparation) is going to give us a good advantage,” Lanning said.

"We feel like we’ve had a good preparation thus far and we’ve got this week on the Sunshine Coast to finish off and I feel like we’ll be very ready once we get over to the UK.”

The training camps have also given new squad members Belinda Vakarewa and Sarah Aley plenty of time to get to know their new teammates.

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The fast bowlers are among eight players preparing for their first World Cup, with allrounder Ashleigh Gardner and leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington also recent additions to the Southern Stars line-up.

"The good thing about our side is that we’ve been able to evolve over the last couple of years and we’ve got a lot of bases covered in terms of different skill sets,” Lanning explained.

"(Vakarewa) is coming out of her shell a bit, she was a bit quiet early on but she let her actions do the talking during the first camp when she was really enthusiastic and impressive with her skills and attitude.

"She’s coming on really nicely and she’s improving all the time, she’s still very young but we’re excited about what she can bring to the team in the World Cup and in the future as well.”

The tournament’s other seven teams are also ramping up their preparations.

India and South Africa warmed up with a quadrangular series against Zimbabwe and Ireland, which saw India defeat the Proteas in the final last week

New Zealand’s squad are currently split across two hemispheres, with some players polishing off their preparations on home soil while others including captain Suzie Bates, ‘keeper Rachel Priest and quicks Lea Tahuhu and Holly Huddleston are already adjusting to the English conditions, playing with various county teams.

The England squad, who spent time at a camp in the United Arab Emirates in April, are also in action on the county circuit, while West Indies are in the midst of their first tune-up since last November and will depart for the UK on Wednesday for an extended pre-World Cup camp in Southampton.

"It’s going to be a tough and open tournament,” Lanning said.

"But we’re excited about the opportunity and looking forward to making the most of the last couple of weeks in Australia before we get over to England."

Women's World Cup 2017 Guide

Australia World Cup squad: Sarah Aley, Kristen Beams, Alex Blackwell (vc), Nicole Bolton, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Meg Lanning (c), Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Belinda Vakarewa, Elyse Villani, Amanda-Jade Wellington

Squads: Every World Cup squad named so far

Australia's World Cup schedule

View the full tournament schedule here

Warm-up matches

June 20: Australia v South Africa, Oakham

June 22: Australia v Pakistan, Leicester

Tournament

June 26: Australia v West Indies, Taunton

June 29: Australia v Sri Lanka, Bristol

July 2: Australia v New Zealand, Bristol

July 5: Australia v Pakistan, Leicester

July 9: Australia v England, Bristol

July 12: Australia v India, Bristol

July 15: Australia v South Africa, Taunton

July 18: First semi-final, Bristol

July 20: Second semi-final, Derby

July 23: Final, Lord's