BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – West Indies Women’s captain Merissa Aguilleira said her side were eager to start their participation in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s Championship strongly against New Zealand Women. 

The two sides will play the first of four One-day Internationals today at Warner Park here.
The results of the first three matches will count towards the tally of the two teams in the newly-created ICC Women’s Championship which will see the top eight women’s sides in the game lock horns in a multi-year, bilateral qualifying competition that will lead into the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup to be hosted by the England & Wales Cricket Board.
“The ICC Women’s Championship is a very good idea mainly because it allows all the women’s teams to play each other,” said Aguilleira.
“Outside of World Cups, we have not had a chance to play a side like Australia regularly and now we will have that chance. It is a great initiative and hopefully our side can go forward and take advantage of it.”
On the series against the White Ferns, Aguilleira said: “We had a tough time against the New Zealand Women in their home conditions. It was a great opportunity to play there, but we are determined to get together and defend our home turf.
“We are looking to use our home advantage and do some damage. Our preparation has been pretty good, and after all of this, we need to bring it altogether and do what we have to do.”
A squad of 18 had been invited to a training camp for the Windies Women over the last two weeks in the Kittitian capital of Basseterre before the final squad was trimmed earlier this week.
Aguilleira said the camp was beneficial as the players keyed in on a number of areas that needed special attention.
“Other than the usual skills, we had a lot of drills to help us with managing game situations,” she said. “There were some good sessions. We have lacked in this area in the past and we needed to be sharper, so hopefully now we can go out there and concentrate a little harder, and put what we have learnt into practice.”
Injury sidelined Aguilleira for last month’s Regional Women’s Super50 Tournament in Dominica, but she has now worked her way back to full fitness, and eyes driving her side to a morale-boosting victory over opponents that have improved over the last year.
“It was tough for me staying away from playing,” she said. “Things happen, but you have to get up and move on.
“I had a lot of therapy sessions with my physio and the rest of the medical staff available at home in Trinidad. It was a lot of hard work, and I want to thank them for giving of their time and efforts to get me fit again, so that I can go out there and continue doing my best.”
Developed in order to create a more extensive and meaningful bilateral playing programme for women’s cricket, the IWC will see the eight sides play one another in three One-Day Internationals, either at home or away, between 2014 and 2016.
Points will be awarded for each game, with the top four sides at the conclusion of the ICC Women’s Championship gaining automatic qualification to the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup.
The bottom four sides will have a second chance to qualify for the marquee event through the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier, details of which will be announced in due course, as they will join six regional qualifiers and face off for the final four positions at the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup.