By Dave Clark
Jenny Gunn is eager to step up her World Twenty20 preparations when England Women face New Zealand in their second warm-up match tomorrow.
The seam-bowling all-rounder sat out the opening two-wicket warm-up win against Pakistan, but is likely to feature in England’s second warm-up match before they head to Sylhet to face West Indies in their tournament opener on Monday.
“I cant wait to get out on the park tomorrow,” the 27-year-old told ecb.co.uk.
“New Zealand are always going to be a challenge. We’ve played them quite a bit and they seem to have a few new faces in the team so it's good to see them in a warm-up game to see what their new faces do.
“They try and smash us out the park so it's always a challenge when you bowl to them and you have to get it right. They've got some big hitters and I think that's what we’ve got to be careful of tomorrow.”
Gunn believes adapting to the conditions is important for Charlotte Edwards side, with a particular emphasis on playing spin.
“I think the main thing is that we’re playing the second match on the pitch in the afternoon, so it does go slower and lower and we have to change our shot selection and adapt it to the situation of the game,” she added.
“It was a bit hotter today. We turned up the heat today, but we had a really good scenario-based practice and some of the lads tested us with spin bowling which was a challenge.
“I think we've prepared really well. It will be nice to get to Sylhet and hit the ground running.”
Gunn was one of the squad members to visit the Acid Survivors Foundation in Dhaka on Wednesday, an organisation that helps women and children disfigured in acid attacks.
And Gunn admits that the experience has helped to put any cricketing concerns into perspective.
“It was very humbling to meet these people and nobody should go through what they've been through,” she added.
“To see how strong they are and how they’re carrying on with their lives and how they want to go back into their communities, it’s just a real inspiration to the rest of us.
“I think it shows that there is more to life than what we do.”