Now that New Zealand and India head towards their ODI series, the teams have been putting in a lot of effort, keeping in mind the World Cup that follows these games. The Kerr sisters – Amelia Kerr and Jess Kerr are too excited to be back in the team and shared a little about their gameplay and preparation ahead of their first match on Saturday. The sisters are quite delighted to be together as a group after playing some domestic cricket.
Young Jess sat back as a spectator last World Cup and now after some four years, she has been given an opportunity to play for the team. She finds it completely surreal. About her progress in recent years, Jess said, “My strength was swinging the ball, the coaches had belief in me doing that and been all day around athletes is just amazing. That’s the difference between domestic and international cricket and the standards. I consider myself new to cricket and being around these players and coaches just helps.”
Amelia is too excited about her first World Cup. She said, “Being in the team a bit longer and developing a bit more as a leader around the group. Being on the top of the order, I am enjoying that role and am looking forward to this upcoming World cup challenge.”
Amelia Kerr also expects to play on three-four in the ODI series just like her T20 game. Talking about the team’s overall performance. Amelia added, “It’s been quite tough two years for our team. We are developing as a team, new combinations are being tried for the World Cup. It has been difficult but there’s been some learning as a team. Playing against the best sides in the world has helped us develop. Hitting over the World Cup we have lots of belief, we’ve worked a lot during the winter. As a team, we are growing in the right direction. We are hoping to be there and outperform as compared to our previous years.”
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‘It’s nice that I can bat and bowl for this group now’ – Amelia Kerr
The sisters also believe it’s better to start with a win, it helps keep momentum and maintain confidence throughout. Talking about the entire COVID situation, Amelia Kerr said, “We’ve been in a strict bubble. We wear our masks everyone and don’t really go outside. We’ve been very careful here and playing cricket is the most important thing. WE have guidelines and it’s our job to follow.”
Talking about swinging the ball in New Zealand Jess Kerr said, “When I was younger I wanted to be a fast bowler. But the swing is going to be quite useful in New Zealand. I am grateful to have it and use it to our advantage.”
Amelia believes there aren’t many focus areas particularly. She said, “We hope to control what we can control. But going forward batting and bowling. It’s all about partnerships and working together as a team. That’s going to help us win the game.”
Amelia Kerr also spoke about her growth as a batter, escalating from 7th- 8th position right up to 3rd and 4th with bat in hand. She said, “Being around is all I wanted to do and consistently worked around. At first, I just didn’t have the stroke and power to bat at an international level but now I’ve been enjoying my batting. It’s nice that I can bat and bowl for this group now.”
On an ending note, the players also spoke of the advantage the side has of playing against India before the World Cup. They believe that playing 50 overs games is rather a privilege in the age of blooming T20 games.
