Tahlia McGrath has called on her team to play with freedom and aggression in their final assignment of the 2024-25 season
Shackles off as Aussies look to sign off endless summer on a high
Tahlia McGrath has called on Australia to unleash the full force of their T20I game against New Zealand, as they look to sign off on their seven-month "summer" on a high note.
Australia’s long international summer has been bookended by T20I series against New Zealand.
But where the September tour staged in Queensland was essentially a warm-up for the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates that was held immediately after, this time Australia will not play another T20I for 11 months.
A long winter break also beckons, with Australia’s next assignment an ODI series in India in September.
With that in mind, stand-in Australia skipper Tahlia McGrath has given her team a license to play with absolute freedom across the next three fixtures at Auckland’s Eden Park, Tauranga’s Bay Oval and Wellington’s Sky Stadium.
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"We're always talking about how we can get better, and that there is no limit to our game," McGrath said in Auckland on the eve of Friday’s first T20I.
"Reflecting on last time we played New Zealand right at the start of our summer, that was probably not the way we wanted to play.
"So, we're really looking forward to take the game on, play our brand of cricket, and finish the season on a high.
"They're pretty much back at full strength, New Zealand … we're expecting a really hard-fought contest, hopefully a nice crowd being double-headers, and hopefully a few Aussies in the crowd. We're going to have to be at our best."
Reflecting back on the matches against the White Ferns in Mackay and Brisbane in September, McGrath said despite winning 3-0, Australia had not been satisfied with the manner in which they won those matches.
In the first, Australia chased a target of 144 with eight balls remaining, but had to recover from early trouble at 3-44, with a 50-run fifth-wicket stand between Georgia Wareham and Phoebe Litchfield getting the hosts over the line.
In the second, Australia comfortably defended 142 but had at one point been 2-91 before a collapse of 8-51. In the series finale, they chased a target of 147 with five balls remaining.
"(We want to be) brave, fearless, aggressive," McGrath said.
"We bat so deep, (so we need to) showcase our talent, play with no fear, knowing that if it doesn't come off there's someone ready to walk out to the wicket to do the job.
"Same with the ball, attacking field sets, attacking mindset, aggressive nature and just trying to push the game forward as much as we can."
McGrath’s comments also reflect the feeling among the Australian camp following the T20 World Cup, where they suffered a shock semi-final defeat to South Africa in a tournament ultimately won by New Zealand.
That disappointment triggered a rethink from Australia, who are freshly determined to push the limits of what they can do as a T20I side, given the depth of talent they have on offer.
McGrath said Australia had yet to confirm an XI for Friday’s opening T20I, but selectors will face a difficult call on who to leave out.
Both Alyssa Healy and Ashleigh Gardner were sidelined for the T20I leg of the Ashes in January, and it was the latter’s absence that opened the door for Alana King’s return to the XI.
But with Gardner, who serving as vice-captain to McGrath, now fully fit, selectors will likely again face a choice between King and fellow leg-spinner Georgia Wareham.
"We're spoiled for choice," McGrath said.
"It's a blessing and a curse when you've got so much talent in the squad and you're trying to fit it into 11.
"There’s so much opportunity for people to potentially play some different roles and stand up at different points throughout the series.
"I'm excited for the opportunity to lead the side again. I always enjoy working with Ash as vice-captain as well, and for us as a group, we're just really excited to kick off (the last leg of) what's been a long season for us, and hopefully we'll finish on a high with a series win over here in New Zealand."
CommBank T20I tour of New Zealand
Australia T20 squad: Tahlia McGrath (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicole Faltum, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
New Zealand T20 squad: Suzie Bates (c), Eden Carson, Sophie Devine, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Georgia Plimmer, Lea Tahuhu
First T20 | March 21: Eden Park, Auckland
Second T20 | March 23: Bay Oval, Tauranga
Third T20 | March 26: Sky Stadium, Wellington
All games start at 12.45pm AEDT, 2.45pm NZDT and will be broadcast live on Foxtel and Kayo Sports