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Meg Lanning is pleased her Australia side are nervous ahead of tomorrow’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 Final against England.
The captain is expecting her players to draw on their nerves as well as their excitement as they look to steal England’s crown and win a seventh title in the match starting at 1pm local time at Hagley Oval.
Australia have been the most consistent team in the tournament, winning all eight of their games, and Lanning is hoping for another complete performance in the showpiece.
“There are certainly some nerves around I think it would be crazy if you weren’t nervous heading into a World Cup final, so it’s a good thing. But there’s a lot of excitement,” the 2013 champion said.
“It’s a great opportunity for our team to go out on a big stage and play really good cricket and we feel like we’ve been building throughout the tournament. We’ve got a really good game plan and also the skill sets within the team to be able to deliver but it comes down to what happens tomorrow.
“We know that it’s going to be tough, England always provide a great contest. They’ve got some world-class players who can take the game away from you really quickly.
“It’s going to be a massive challenge for us and certainly not going to be easy but we feel confident that if we can put up as close to our best as possible, then that’ll give us a good chance.”
Lanning, who will play in her 100th ODI tomorrow, started the tournament by saying everyone was chasing England but, with one game left, the goal has changed.
She said: “We’re both chasing the same thing tomorrow, we both want to win just as much as the other.
“That’s the thing about World Cup finals, it’s all on the line on the day, it’s irrelevant what’s happened previously in the tournament.
“Both teams start on zero runs tomorrow and it’s about putting out a really good performance and that’s the challenge for our team.”
While Australia have produced strong team performances throughout the World Cup, there was one name on everyone’s lips, Ellyse Perry.
The star all-rounder is facing a race against time to recover from a back injury that has kept her out Australia’s last two games but Lanning was able to provide a positive update.
“Ellyse got through a pretty hard and high-intensity session yesterday and she’s trained again today and is feeling pretty good.
“It will just depend on how she pulls up sort of this afternoon, that will be the final hurdle she needs to get over. But at this stage, it is looking pretty good.
“She can definitely play as a specialist bat and that’s probably the most likely scenario. She hasn’t bowled for a couple of weeks now and it would be difficult for her to come out and bowl in a final.
“Ellyse is a world-class player and has shown that over a long period of time, particularly in this 50-over format. She averages 50 with the bat and has a great record with the ball as well.
“To have someone with that experience, someone who has performed on the big stage before hopefully to be part of our team is a huge boost.”