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Meg Lanning, left, and Beth Mooney celebrate Australia’s win in game three of their Ashes one-day series against England in Melbourne.
Australia are preparing for the worst as they face a mentally challenging quarantine period in New Zealand before the Women’s ODI World Cup.
Meg Lanning’s team are overwhelming favourites to reclaim the 50-over crown they dropped in England in 2017, having won 29 of their past 30 ODIs.
But after almost two years of bubbles in the Covid-19 world, Australia will have to pick themselves up again for an expected 10-day hard isolation period.
“It’s a challenge for players and staff to get your head around that,” Australia coach Matthew Mott said.
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“We’re also getting some different information about what it’s going to look like once we get over there, so to get some clarity on that will be great.
“Our doctor Pip Inge has done an incredible job behind the scenes of finding out the facts but until we get over there we won’t really know for certain.
“But that’s something we’ve been exceptional in dealing with whatever’s come our way and I think our players deserve a lot of credit for the way they approached the (Ashes) series.
“We’re prepared for the worst and that looks like 10 days of quarantine, and whether we can get access to fresh air, access to training facilities, that’s all still a little bit up in the air.
Mike Owen/Getty Images
Meg Lanning in on the drive for Australia against England.
“We’ve prepared all players and staff for that not happening so anything we get back from that will be a positive.”
Australia will enter the World Cup full of confidence and stacked with squad depth, after completing an undefeated Ashes campaign against England.
They will face their arch-enemies again in their opening match of the tournament in Hamilton on March 5.
But Mott will not be taking the defending champions lightly, after they won the last edition while Australia failed to qualify for the final.
“I’d rather go in here having won these games but it doesn’t count for a lot in a World Cup, we’ve seen that before,” he said.
“We certainly won’t underestimate them (England), they’ve got a little bit of time to reassess.
“It’s a strong era of Australian cricket and the depth is getting stronger every year.”
In a further boost for Australia, superstar allrounder Ellyse Perry is back in form after starting the Ashes down on her usual extremely high output.
Tahlia McGrath is coming off a breakout summer, having claimed player of the series honours against India and England.
Annabel Sutherland, who is still only 20, ripped through England with career-best figures of 4-31 in the third and final ODI on Tuesday.