Aussies ready for Indoor World Cup

Australia will have high expectations in all divisions when the Indoor Cricket World Cup gets underway this weekend in Wellington, New Zealand.

The tournament runs from October 18-25 and the Aussie brigade expects to dominate in each of the four divisions.

Here we take a look at each of the Australian teams in greater detail, to provide you with some insights into the key players, as well as some up-and-coming young guns to keep an eye on.

Extreme Men
The Men’s Extreme side will go into the tournament with a great deal of experience, with 10 players having International experience, and six players having played in the previous World Cup. Under the watchful eye of Coach Ross Gregory, who is likely to be coaching in his final World Cup after being at the helm for 13 years, the team will be eager to stamp their authority on the competition early, despite their tough draw.
Some of the older brigade of Lance MacDougall, Vinesh Bennett and Rob Fitzgerald will provide valuable experience and composure, to assist youngsters Rhys Dearness, Mark Rice and Travis Baker. Baker will provide a fast-bowling option for the side with Dearness’ all-round ability evident on the back of a dominant performance at the Australian Open National Championships earlier in the year. Despite the team never having lost a World Cup, they will be expecting some fierce competition, especially from Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand and South Africa.

Extreme Women
As with the men’s side, the women will again have plenty of players with past experience, with 10 players having represented Australia in South Africa at the previous World Cup. With Jude Coleman in charge as Captain and Donna Dalby as coach once again, the team are primed to taste success at another World Cup event.
Neisha Isles and Briony Polkinghorne will both be important players come the latter part of the competition, with Taneale Peschel and Laura Shaw taking on greater responsibility on the back of consistence performances during last year’s tour of Sri Lanka. Of particular note is the sides depth, with all players capable of performing on their day and taking the game away from the opposition. Strong competition will come from New Zealand and South Africa, and with the home court advantage to New Zealand, Australia will have a real fight on their hands if their want to hold the trophy aloft once again.

Under-20 Men
With new coach Ron Olsen taking charge in his first World Cup, preparation has been invaluable in the lead-up to the tournament. A number of players will be eager to impress on the international scene for the first time. Ryan Dowse was the standout performer at the Nationals taking home the Player of the Series award, performing exceptionally well throughout the carnival. Blair Oakley, and his West Australian teammates, Travis Keys and Luke Taylor, were others that impressed at the Nationals and will be ones to keep an eye on during the tournament. A couple of the younger players in Jamie Diener, South Australia and Wade Burrowes, NSW, are just two who could stamp their authority in the competition very early on.  A very even side will make starting spots very difficult, however the teams professionalism during the lead up, will certainly hold them in good stead come the beginning of the tournament.

Under-20 Women
The Women’s Under-20 side will be led by experienced coach Renee Lee, who has coached the side for many years.  A very even competition provided some of the best cricket in the Under-20 Ladies division at the Nationals, with NSW prevailing on the back of outstanding last pair partnership of 53 between Carly Leeson and Samantha Arnold, proving these two can handle the pressure. Leeson, who is the youngest in the side, at 16, will be someone to look out for in this tournament, and many more ahead. Captain Alex Lascu will be pivotal in leading the young side, and along with Amy Edgar, whose medium-pace bowling will be difficult to combat, will be key to their chances of claiming the title. With a number of players competing at a World Cup for the first time, there will no doubt be some nerves early on however, with a few experienced heads leading the team, they’ll be hard to beat.

Follow all of the action from the Indoor Cricket World Cup via indoor.cricket.com.au or join the conversation on Twitter @CA_Indoor