Women's Cricket World Cup: Early matches expected to set tone for tournament

Christchurch [New Zealand], March 2 (ANI): Christchurch will host the Women's 50-over World Cup final on April 3 but before that, there are 30 matches to get through beginning with the opener between New Zealand and the West Indies in Tauranga on Friday.
The first four matches could set the tone for the whole World Cup with titanic tussles expected between title challengers and a team making its debut.
For New Zealand's 2022 team, they have the chance to join the legends of the 2000 World Cup, as an Emily Drumm-led side defeated Australia in a nail-biting final the last time the tournament was held in New Zealand.
India is one of only two other teams to reach the final, having done so in 2005 and 2017. Mithali Raj played in both matches and has been a World Cup regular since 2000, and she's back to lead the side again. For the Women in Blue, victory would be vindication for their continual development over several years as the likes of Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma continue to cement their position as some of the world's best.
Like England and Australia, India begins with a mammoth match against rivals Pakistan, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament.
"The White Ferns have not won a 50-over World Cup since but are buoyed by a mammoth win over Australia in their final warm-up game. It was significant because Australia is among the favourites and have the chance to stretch their record number of tournament wins to a magnificent seven, with their most recent victory coming in 2013," stated an official ICC release.
The Southern Stars head into the World Cup as the No.1 ranked side in the ICC Team rankings and have lost just one ODI in their past 30 games, with the defeat to New Zealand in a one-day international.
Australia's first game takes place on Saturday as they face holders England in Hamilton in one of the high-profile games of the tournament.
With all eight teams playing each other once, getting off to a good start can be crucial as the top four sides in the table advance to the semi-finals.
However, England can be safe in the knowledge that they lost their opening game of the 2017 World Cup and went on to take a dramatic victory over India in the final.
They are one of three teams to win the World Cup, alongside Australia and New Zealand, and another triumph this year would be their fifth in total - and the first time they have successfully defended it.
Saturday's early game of the opening weekend sees South Africa take on Bangladesh with the latter appearing in their first-ever World Cup.
Nigar Sultana Joty will lead out her side in Dunedin, one of six venues for the tournament with Wellington and Auckland also hosting games, to make history as the 15th side to play in a World Cup.
Bangladesh are not here to make up the numbers, as the No.6 side in the world they will be hoping to make an impression and are yet to play Australia, England and New Zealand in ODIs so they also have the element of surprise. (ANI)