"Difficult to settle on final 11": Meg Lanning ahead of series opener

Australia are set to play a six-match series against Pakistan, beginning on 18th October. The matches will take place in Malaysia, a country where none of the players in Australia's 14-strong squad have played before. In these foreign conditions, Australia will be competing against Pakistan for points in the ICC Women's Champion and also to gain momentum ahead of the World Twenty-20.



In her press conference before the opening match, Australia captain Meg Lanning said, "We're looking forward to the challenge of playing in a place we haven't played before. We've been here a couple of days now and feel like we've started to adjust to the heat and the conditions. It's a really good test for us to be able to adapt quickly in the games and see what we need to do." She further added, "We've really enjoyed being here, so far. We've been looked after very well, on and off the field. We've enjoyed our stay and we're looking forward to the game."



As for Australia's expectations from the series, Lanning expressed, "We're going out here to win every game. We want to play our style of the game. We want to put pressure on the opposition, so we feel like we've got the tempo now and we understand that. The game tomorrow's the first step. We're looking to play really well, put some pressure on Pakistan early and hopefully, get a win."



Speaking about the importance of the points in the Women's Championship, Lanning commented, "We're looking forward to playing against a good opposition in Pakistan. It'll be challenging in conditions we are not accustomed to. The Women's Championship is a great contest. It means every match is important. The next three matches are our biggest matches, so far and we're looking forward to the challenge. We go out there to win every game. We need to win every game to stay in touch. We like to raise expectation and pressure on the games that we play because, it just means the cricket around the world is really good."



Australia looked ominous in the only practice match yesterday. Leg-spinner Georgia Wareham, who debuted for the Southern Stars squad just three matches ago, showed no sign of inexperience as she took five-wickets. Talking about her new teammate, Lanning said, "She's very level-headed. She's got a good temperament and doesn't get flustered easily. That suits short format cricket where batters are going to come after you. She's settled in really nicely in the New Zealand series and again here, so looking forward to seeing how she goes."



While the young-gun has gotten her opportunity to impress, the world's number one ranked ODI batter has had to sit on the sidelines getting a pad-rash. In Australia's three-match Twenty-20 series against New Zealand, Ellyse Perry's services were not required with the bat, given the long line-up that Australia has. It sees Perry come in at number seven. But, when given the opportunity, Perry impressed. In their practice match, she top-scored for her side with a 45. On her form, Lanning commented, "Ellyse Perry hasn't had many chances out in the middle over the last few weeks. But, she's been in really good form. She played very well yesterday and she's a world-class batter so, the fifty-over format might give her chance to get out there and spend some time in the middle, which is great. She's a really important player for us."



When asked if she expected a tough clash tomorrow, in the first match, Lanning exclaimed, "Yes, absolutely. We're looking forward to the challenge of Pakistan... in conditions we're not accustomed to and they probably are a little more than us. We know we have to play well to get the result we want." This series gives Australia a chance to spend some time in the middle with the bat and ball," which is going the be "very important moving forward." Lanning additionally said, "We're excited to play some ODI cricket. It's been a little while so, everyone's excited for the game tomorrow."



As for Australia's final 11 for tomorrow, all Lanning could disclose was, "We haven't really looked at the wicket yet. So, we'll have to go out there soon, have a look and try to pick the best team we can, to play in those conditions. The whole squad's been in really good form as well so, it's going to be difficult to settle on the final 11, which is only a good thing."



About there series win over New Zealand, Lanning said, "Playing against New Zealand is always a good challenge. We know we need to play good cricket to get the wins. I think it set us up nicely for this tour. Obviously, we've had a bit of a break in the winter, from international cricket so, it's nice to get back in the swing of that. We feel like we're prepared for this series and looking forward to it getting underway."