Australia wary of India women

“When I saw the fixtures announcement, I said, ‘Damnit!’” laughed Healy. “I was hoping to avoid it. India is such a powerhouse in the cricketing world, on the rise in the women’s game, which I think is special. It has got some serious players. It’s Harmanpreet Kaur’s home ground [from the Women’s Big Bash League], the Spotless Stadium, so definitely one to watch.”

Alex Blackwell, the former Australia captain who lifted the trophy in 2010, agreed that India would pose a threat, as would New Zealand. “India are positioned to make a final,” she said. “Sometimes we see [Kaur] play within herself. But when she goes out there 100%, she’s proven to be very hard to stop. And Sophie Devine, she keeps getting better and better.”

“A home World Cup is a whole other thing. There’s going to be a lot of pressure and a lot of excitement as well,” said Meg Lanning, the captain, who led the side to the title in the Caribbean in 2018.

Blackwell urged the players to make the most of the opportunity. “The Australian players should utilise that crowd, get the crowd behind them, especially in the crunch moments,” she said. “Virat Kohli (the India men’s captain) does that really well.”

The finals of the ICC Women’s World T20 2018 and the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 were both played in front of sell-out crowds, in Antigua and at Lord’s respectively. Yet, the capacity of the MCG is several times more, with more than 90,000 people expected to show up.

Perhaps the closest comparable number in a women’s cricket game is the 1997 World Cup final at Eden Gardens, when Australia defeated New Zealand before a vocal crowd that numbered more than 50,000. Belinda Clark, who was captain that day, said that to see a packed stadium in Australia would be a sign of just how far things have come.