DHAKA – In addition to helping her team win the Women’s World Cup Qualifiers, West Indies super batsman Stafanie Taylor is planning to use the tournament to push closer towards securing the No. 1 ranking in women’s cricket.
“I want to secure the No. 1 position in batting for women’s cricket,” a confident Taylor said.
Taylor is currently ranked in the number two ODI batting position behind India’s Mithali Raj.
She is 40 ratings points behind Raj who has 766 points.
Taylor, who fashioned her third One Day International century off Ireland on Monday when he scored 107 off 154 balls with nine fours and a six in a massive 213-run victory said that she believed the West Indies women’s team was developing into a side which will move into the upper rankings of women’s cricket.
She shared a record opening stand of 204 with the experienced Juliana Nero, who lashed 13 fours and three sixes in a run-a-ball even 100, her first ODI?century.
“We’re growing as a team, every time we play together as a unit we get better because we learn more about each other and our abilities and it is for this reason that I know we are going to win the qualifiers,” outlined the 20-year-old all-rounder who is the reigning ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year.
Taylor, who has represented the West Indies in 41 One Day Internationals and 24 Twenty20 Internationals, said that she enjoyed the intense two-week preparation the team had at the Sagicor High Performance Centre in Barbados prior to departing for Bangladesh.
She said that during the preparatory camp she was focused on spending time at the crease as she knew once she remained in the middle, runs would come bountifully.
“I know I needed to work on ensuring that I do not give my wicket away so in the nets I needed to get that right because I know once I occupy the crease I will score runs for my team,” said the Jamaican who has two international centuries.
The right-hander, who debuted for the West Indies in 2008 and smashed a stunning 49-ball 90, said that she has also been paying careful attention to developing the mental side of his game in order to remain focussed on batting for longer periods of time.
Ten teams will participate in the qualifiers in Bangladesh and the top four teams will join top-ranked sides England, Australia, India and New Zealand in the Women’s World Cup 2013 in India.
The teams have been drawn in two groups for the qualifiers with West Indies in Group B along with Pakistan, Ireland, Japan and hosts Bangladesh. The qualifiers which began on Monday, will run through to November 25. (EZS/PR)