Caribbean sun has Aussies primed

After a difficult week for Australian cricket, fans looking for something to smile about need look no further than Antigua, where the Australian women's team have kicked off their World T20 preparations under the Caribbean sun.

Meg Lanning's squad touched down in Antigua on Wednesday and after a brief chance to overcome their jetlag on the local beaches, began their preparations in earnest on Friday with their first training session at Coolidge Cricket Ground.

It was an opportunity to dust off the cobwebs after a lengthy journey from Kuala Lumpur – that saw the Australians stopover in Dubai and London before finally reaching the Caribbean – ahead of Saturday night's (Sunday 11am AEDT) first warm-up match against England at the same venue.

"We've genuinely tried to relax and get around the beach and just chill out for the last two days, so the players are absolutely champing at the bit for a hit today," Australia head coach Matthew Mott said ahead of Friday's training session.

"We had a lot of preparation in Malaysia and it was quite tough, the conditions there were quite hot and humid and now we've arrived here and it's a beautiful island, the people been magnificent already.

"Now we're very determined from here on in that we're in game mode and we're getting ready to play."

Determined is an understatement for the Australians, after they lost the 2016 World T20 final to the Windies before being knocked out of the World Cup semi-finals last year.

For the first time since 2009, they have found themselves without a piece of ICC silverware in their possession and with that in mind, Mott says there's one goal driving his team.

"I think there's almost a sense of unfinished business over the last couple of years," he said.

"We've played some really good cricket, particularly in the last eight to 10 months, but we're very hungry to get a world crown back and I think this group's at a place now where they're really ready to show the world how well they're playing.

"It's important it all comes together over the next couple of weeks, we've got some tough round matches to start with and it's about getting through that stage and then hopefully you get your chance in the semis and finals."

Those twin World Cup disappointments forced the Australian players and staff to reassess their approach in the second half of last year. 

And it was that rethink that resulted in the ‘fearless' ethos that has underpinned Australia's last 12 months, which has seen them win 19 of the 24 matches they've played across all formats since the start of last summer's Ashes. 

It's an approach now being coveted by Australia's men, with batsman Chris Lynn noting earlier this week the ODI squad wanted "to play fearless cricket, not reckless" in their upcoming series against South Africa.

"I think we've taken a long time to get to this spot, after a couple of World Cup exits where we probably weren't playing that fearless cricket," Mott said.

"That was a bit of an eye-opener for everyone and made us more determined to get that right. 

"You can see in the last while the freedom the players are playing with both the bat and the ball.

"We've just gone through the players' pact with the men and we've shared a lot of ideas both ways.

"I think that's a really good thing for the game going forward, that there is that sharing of ideas, and I know Justin (Langer) wants to play that way as well.

"Certainly from our team we've seen how (that fearlessness) works and we want it to continue."

Image Id: 3BDF7309C67140909F4A8405D46E8594 Image Caption: Australia coach and captain look on // Cricket Network

Australia head into the Women's World T20 as the world's top-ranked T20 side and with a run of nine successive wins in the format under their belts.

They've completed whitewash series wins over New Zealand and Pakistan – both of whom they will play during the group stage of this tournament – in the last month, but Mott says there is still room for improvement from his charges.

"You always look for improvement," he said. "Our fielding got better as the series (against Pakistan) went on. 

"Our bowling plans have been very good and well executed with good variety, and with our batting we chased a couple of small totals so it's hard to say (where it's at) but I was very pleased that in the last match we iced the game and only lost the one wicket. 

"We know we're going to have some bigger scores to chase and that's the test for our batting unit." 

In good news for Australian fans, skipper Lanning – who missed the final T20 against Pakistan in Malaysia due to a lower back complaint – batted freely in the nets on Friday, with Mott confirming her availability for the warm-up clash against England.

Friday's session was also a surprise chance for the Australian squad to brush shoulders with one of the game's all-time greats, when Sir Vivian Richards – who was unveiled as an ambassador of the ICC tournament on Thursday – dropped into Australian training to chat to the players and assess their form in the nets.

Australia will play England in a warm-up match here at Coolidge Stadium on Saturday at 8pm local time (Sunday 11am AEDT). For news, scores and highlights, head to cricket.com.au and the CA Live app.

2018 ICC Women's World T20  

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

November 9: Australia v Pakistan, Province Stadium, Guyana

November 11: Australia v Ireland, Province Stadium

November 13: Australia v New Zealand, Province Stadium

November 17: Australia v India, Province Stadium

November 22: Semi-finals, Sir Vivian Richards Ground, Antigua

November 24: Final, Sir Vivian Richards Ground