Australia’s respect for their New Zealand rivals will ensure they won’t be distracted by the prospect of equalling the world record for most consecutive one-day international wins with a Rose Bowl series whitewash.
With 18 straight ODI wins in the bag, the Aussie women are just three victories short of matching the 21 successive ODI wins set by Ricky Ponting’s World Cup winning side 17 years ago.
Meg Lanning and her own World Cup winners could equal that mark with a clean sweep of the three-game series starting at Allan Border Field on Saturday, and by Wednesday be equal world record holders.
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“We’re definitely aware of it,†star Australian all-rounder Jess Jonassen said.
“Not necessarily within our squad and what we’re talking about, but we obviously see it in the media, and it’s been an incredible achievement so far for us to have won so many on the trot.
“(But) it’s not a record that we’re necessarily setting out to try to break. It’s the old cliche that we literally do take it a game at a time.â€
Last time we played an ODI, this happened! 💯
Bring on the Rose Bowl series, starting tomorrow morning! #AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/mzgoqnO1cP
— Australian Women’s Cricket Team 🏏 (@AusWomenCricket) October 2, 2020
And with good reason.
New Zealand can’t be underestimated, having beaten Australia in the third match of the T20 series last Wednesday.
“We know of the calibre of players in this New Zealand set-up … they’ve got any number of people that can take any game away for you,†Jonassen said.
“We won’t get too far ahead of ourselves, and just want to focus on the first game of the series, and hopefully locking that down, and then hopefully the series itself.
“Then if we do get to that position, that we can potentially go for a clean sweep, the noise and the chat in and around that world record will be pretty much at the forefront by then.â€
Among New Zealand’s biggest threats during the series will be their teenage all-rounder Amelia Kerr, who starred with bat and ball in the White Ferns’ win over Wednesday.
Jonassen knows all too well the danger Kerr poses, with the pair being WBBL teammates for the Brisbane Heat.
“She’s somebody that doesn’t really feel the pressure for which somebody so young it a little bit scary,†Jonassen said of Kerr.
“She’s quite competent and capable to take the game away from you with both bat and ball.
“We’ve got some really good plans against her from a bowling perspective. Now we just need to make sure that we’re on top of it from a batting perspective as well.â€
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