England women all-rounder Natalie Sciver has welcomed the change in format ahead of the Twenty20 series with New Zealand, which starts tonight.
The tourists were beaten 2-1 by the White Ferns in the preceding three International Cricket Council Women’s Championship one-day internationals, but Sciver said the squad were ready to bounce back in the shorter version of the game.
Sciver exclusively told ecb.co.uk:“We had our review meeting this morning so we’ve kind of drawn a line under it and moved on and we’re looking forward to starting the T20s.
“We’re disappointed to lose the initial series 2-1, and credit to them they played really well.
#EngWomen are back in the gym this morning. 1st T20I v @WHITE_FERNS tomorrow! https://t.co/R5mOfu8nkt
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) February 17, 2015
“We really like playing T20 cricket and we’ve had quite a good record in T20 and against the Kiwis so hopefully we can do the same tomorrow.
“I think the change of format has come at a good time for us so hopefully we can put a good stamp on it.”
England’s preparations for the game have started at the Cobham Oval, with Sciver saying it was good to get going once again.
She added: “It was really good to get back on the field and get going again.
“We started with a group fielding session and that put us in really good stead and raised our intensity for the session ahead.
WATCH! Next stop for #EngWomen The Cobham Oval in Whangarei for two T20Is: http://t.co/TOPLty1Yx3
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) February 18, 2015
“You want to train as close to match intensity as possible."
The 22-year-old will be particularly keen to get started in the sprint format, after developing a reputation as one of the biggest hitters on the women’s circuit.
Despite not scoring as many runs with the bat as she might have liked in the first three games - they will play a further two after the three T20Is - Sciver is eager to get the chance to showcase her striking skills over the next few days.
“It’s something I’ve been working on for a while now so hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to bat and hopefully put it into practice,” she said.