Quantcast

Perry predicted to pounce in ODI series

Meg Lanning expects top allrounder Ellyse Perry to have her say with the bat in a crucial one-day series against Pakistan

Meg Lanning is tipping Ellyse Perry to make her mark with the bat when the one-day international series against Pakistan begins on Thursday, while the Australia captain is adamant her team won't be taking their lower-ranked opponents lightly.

Australia, who sit top of the ODI rankings, have never lost to seventh-ranked Pakistan in any format, but are playing them in entirely foreign conditions in Kuala Lumpur.

All three matches count towards the ICC's Women's ODI Championship, a four-early round robin tournament that determines automatic qualification for the next 50-over World Cup, and victory in the series would secure crucial points for Lanning's team.

"We're looking forward to playing against good opposition in Pakistan, it's going to be challenging in conditions we're not accustomed to," Lanning said ahead of Australian training on Wednesday.

"The Women's Championship is it's a great concept, it means every match is really important.

"We need to win every game here to keep in touch (with the top of the table), and I love that there's expectation and pressure on every game."

Meg Lanning: In Case You Didn't Know Me

Australia arrived in Malaysia – the neutral venue selected to host the series with a suitable ground in the United Arab Emirates currently unavailable – on Sunday and have had three days to adjust to the stifling heat and humidity.

It's the first time an Australian women's team has played in the Asian nation and Lanning said her 14-player squad was embracing the unknown.

"We're really looking forward to the challenge of playing in a place where we haven't played before," she said.

"We've been here for a couple of days now so we feel like we're starting to adapt to the heat and conditions.

"It's a good test for us to be able to adapt quickly within the games."

One player who looms as key for Australia in this series is Perry, who is currently the world's top-ranked ODI batter.

Perry wasn't required to bat at all in Australia's 3-0 T20I win over New Zealand earlier this month, listed at No.7 in a series dominated by the top-order batters.

But with a game perfectly suited to the 50-over format, Lanning expects Perry – who top-scored with 45 in a warm-up match against a local side on Tuesday – to take her usual place at No.4 in the Australian order.

"She hasn't had a chance out in the middle the last few weeks, but she's in good form," Lanning said.

"She played well yesterday and she's a world-class batter in the fifty-over format.

"This might give her a chance to spend some time in the middle so that's great, she's a really important player for us so I'm looking forward to her doing well for us across the next couple of games."

The opening ODI against Pakistan at Kinrara Academy Oval will begin on Thursday at 9.30am local time (12.30pm AEDT).

CommBank Tour of Malaysia

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

Australia T20 & World T20 squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen (subject to fitness), Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

Pakistan ODI/T20 squad: Javeria Khan (c), Bibi Nahida, Ayesha Zafar, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Sidra Amin, Omaima Sohail, Nida Rashid, Sidra Nawaz, Sana Mir, Nashra Sundhu, Anum Amin, Natalia Parvaiz, Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Aiman Anwar

October 18: First ODI v Pakistan, Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur

October 20: Second ODI v Pakistan, Kinrara Academy Oval

October 22: Third ODI v Pakistan, Kinrara Academy Oval

October 25: First T20I v Pakistan, Kinrara Academy Oval

October 27: Second T20I v Pakistan, Kinrara Academy Oval

October 29: Third T20I v Pakistan, Kinrara Academy Oval

2018 ICC Women's World T20  

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