Aussies to put gold hunt ahead of Games' opening party

Australia's all-powerful cricket team are almost certain to miss out on marching at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, thanks to the tight turnaround with their all-important opening match against India.

The T20 team, one of Australia's best gold medal prospects at the Birmingham Games, has been torn between the sense of occasion and the practicalities of its schedule.

Avoiding COVID-19 is also a major consideration for the Australian cricketers, with two cases reported in the India camp, including star allrounder Pooja Vastrakar.

It has been reported that Vastrakar and reserve batter Sabbhineni Meghana had to remain behind in Bengaluru to serve their isolation period when the rest of the squad flew out to Birmingham earlier this week and will face a fitness test before they can join the team, making them unlikely to feature in Friday's match against the Aussies.

"The medical team is monitoring both the players and they will decide when the players will be ready to fly out to Birmingham," a source in the Board of Control for Cricket in India told Sportstar.

T20 women's cricket will make its Games debut and it will be only the second time the sport has been played in the event, following the men's 50-overs tournament in 1998.

The opening ceremony will not finish until about 10.30pm local time on Thursday and Australia start their Games campaign the next morning at 11am.

Their game against India is expected to attract a massive crowd at Edgbaston and is the toughest of Australia’s three group matches ahead of games against Barbados and Pakistan.

Australian coach Shelley Nitschke told reporters on Tuesday that discussions around the opening ceremony remained "a work in progress".

If Australia do miss out on the opening ceremony, it will likely only strengthen their conviction to ensure they have gold medals around their necks come the Closing Ceremony on August 9.

The Australian women are in the midst of a special era and they are determined to add a Commonwealth Games gold medal to their trophy cabinet, which is full to bursting.

Australia have won the past two T20 World Cups in 2018 and 2020, and reclaimed the 50-over World Cup earlier this year.

"It's big motivation. It's the first one, it's something new for us," Nitschke said.

"We're really keen to put our best foot forward and hopefully add a gold medal to the mix.

"It's important and the girls are excited about it."

While the wider Australian Games team is dispersed in different accommodations, the cricketers are well aware of their place in Games history.

"They're all really honoured to be part of the first T20 women's (tournament) at the Commonwealth Games," Nitschke said.

"It's got a special place. We play World Cups and Ashes and things like that, which are very important, but this is something a little bit different, to be involved in the first one.

"It has a lot of significance for us."

India feel the same way. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur said before departing for Birmingham: "This tournament is very important for us. We have grown watching these kind of tournaments and we are glad that we are also getting an opportunity, we will be part of a big event."

When it comes to the competition itself, there is a strong sense of getting on with business for the Australians.

"It's T20 cricket, which we obviously play a lot ... our preparation will essentially remain the same," Nitschke said.

"We expect a decent crowd there on Friday against India ... but in effect, our preparation stays reasonably similar to what we do in the big tournaments.

"I'm really confident the group is ready to go ... they're seasoned campaigners."

2022 Commonwealth Games

Australia's squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington

See all the Commonwealth Games cricket squads here

Group A: Australia, India, Pakistan, Barbados

Group B: England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka

July 29: Australia v India (11am local, 8pm AEST)

July 31: Australia v Barbados (6pm local, 3am Aug 1 AEST)

August 3: Australia v Pakistan (11am local, 8pm AEST)

Semi-finals: August 6, 11am local (8pm AEST) and 6pm local (3am Aug 7 AEST)

Bronze medal match: August 7, 10am local (7pm AEST)

Gold medal match: August 7, 5pm local (2am Aug 8 AEST)

All matches played at Edgbaston Stadium