Perry ruled out for first Pakistan match
Question marks for Stars opener
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Quick Single: Your guide to the Southern Stars' series against Pakistan
The first ball of a new era for women’s cricket will be bowled today, yet there are more question marks than ever hanging around the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars camp.
The world’s top female side in one-day internationals and Twenty20 cricket is set to take on a team they rarely see, without their star allrounder and on a pitch that has had a decidedly green tinge to it in the lead-up.
Ellyse Perry has been ruled out of today's opening ODI, but Australia's star allrounder was not likely to let injury and omission sour her mood after it was revealed on social media overnight that she had accepted a marriage proposal from long-term boyfriend and Australia rugby union star Matt Toomua.
"Today I asked her to marry me. She said yes! #poorgirl #littlebitexcited" wrote Toomua, who is himself preparing for an interantional with the Wallabies to face the New Zealand All Blacks again this weekend.
Today's first ODI against Pakistan is also the first match of the new ICC International Women’s Championship and Southern Stars captain Meg Lanning told cricket.com.au her team would continue to target those things that are within their control.
“We’re very much focusing on ourselves and what we can do to perform at our best,” Lanning said.
“I think the games are going to be very tough and we’re going to have to play well to win.
“It’s just about getting that high standard in the first game and really maintaining it.
“If we don’t perform well then we’re likely to get beaten.
“It’s been a little while (between international fixtures), but we’re going well as a group and we’re looking forward to getting out there.”
Perry had been looking unlikely to suit up for the match after the number-two ranked international ODI allrounder again failed to train on Wednesday due to a knee injury, but Lanning said she was confident her squad had the depth to cover her absence.
“We’ve got a number of options,” said the 2013 Belinda Clarke medallist.
“Megan Schutt wasn’t in Bangladesh (for the World T20) but she’s in the squad this time around and we’ve obviously got (Rene) Farrell, (Sarah) Coyte and Julie Hunter.
“Not having such a great player in our side (is tough), but I think we can cover her.”
Quick Single: Southern Stars enter new territory
The third of Lanning’s trilogy of night terrors is the Redland Cricket Ground pitch, a ground as-yet untried in international competition.
“Hopefully it’s good for batting,” Lanning said.
“I had a look yesterday and there was still a fair bit of grass out there, but the groundsman assured me he was going to be rolling it.”
The Australian batting lineup will be hoping to avoid anything resembling the raging seamer that confronted the England and India women's teams in their lone Test match in Wormsley, the hosts skittled for 92 in their first innings with seven English wickets falling lbw.
While the eastern suburbs of Brisbane is about as far from the south of England as you can get, a challenging deck could prove the undoing of a side used to flat limited-overs pitches.
But as with most curve balls - both literal and metaphoric - thrown Lanning’s way, the 22-year-old skipper appears nonplussed.
“Having practiced on these (training) wickets, I think it will (play) quite similar.
“As the game goes on it tends to spin a bit more and we’re playing on the same wicket most games I think.
“For the first game it might skid a bit but then it will get slower.
“We’re looking to forward to playing at our best and focusing on the basics, which is what we do well.”
Stay up to date with all the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars news and watch live coverage of the Pakistan series on cricket.com.au