New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) Australia coach Shelley Nitschke thinks Annabel Sutherland is ready to take on a finishing role at the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. She believes the all-rounder’s versatility could be a significant asset for the defending runners-up in England.

Australia will start their World Cup preparations with three warm-up matches against South Africa in Arundel beginning Sunday. They will also play practice games against England and the West Indies before their tournament opener on June 13. This year, for the first time since 2018, Australia enters the tournament without being the defending champions. However, Nitschke feels the team is close to finding its best lineup.

A key topic is Sutherland’s batting role. The 24-year-old has established herself as a valuable bowler in T20Is, but her batting position has changed often. She has mostly batted at No. 7 and No. 8 in her 48 T20I matches, even though she has excelled higher up the order in ODIs, Tests, and domestic cricket.

“I think it’s a tricky one for Bells,” Nitschke told reporters. “Domestically, she bats quite high up the order but has found herself in that middle-order finishing role for us, and I think she definitely can take that role on.”

Nitschke believes Sutherland has the ability to excel in various roles.

“She has shown that she can score runs at the top, but she’s also demonstrated that she has some tricks and a well-rounded game to play in the middle or finishing role as well.

“I actually think she’s really versatile, and she’s probably on the verge of really making a big impact in her T20 game.”

Sutherland, who won back-to-back Belinda Clark Awards earlier this year, chose not to participate in the Women’s Premier League in January. She also skipped Australia’s tour of the West Indies to refresh both mentally and physically ahead of the World Cup.

“I think it’s tough when your teammates are playing, and I absolutely love playing for and representing Australia, so I missed that,” Sutherland told cricket.com.au. “But I knew it was the right choice for me, to be honest.

“Physically and mentally, I needed to refresh and prioritize what I had to do to ensure I’m ready to go when it matters most — which is this T20 World Cup.”

Australia has played only six T20Is since March of last year. Sophie Molineux has taken over the captaincy from Alyssa Healy during this time. Nitschke mentioned that the upcoming warm-up games will be essential for the squad to regain its rhythm and momentum.

“The next few games against South Africa are about getting back out there,” she said. “We’ve come off a bit of a break and have just been training. Now it’s about getting match practice and ensuring we’re playing strong cricket.”

Nitschke also confirmed that Molineux is expected to bowl fully during the warm-up matches as she continues to recover from a back injury. Meanwhile, Phoebe Litchfield has been practising extra wicketkeeping in case Beth Mooney gets injured during the tournament.

“She’s looking for ways to get more glove work in to ensure that, if that happens, she can fill in for us,” Nitschke said.

Australia began their campaign against South Africa on June 13. Nitschke shared that team management has already started closely studying English conditions through the ongoing T20 Blast.

–IANS

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