ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – England arrived here yesterday to a festive Caribbean welcome, becoming the first international side to touch down for the historic ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup which bowls off next month.

The reigning 50-over World Cup champions coach, Mark Robinson, said England would be keen on adding a second white ball title to their trophy cabinet.

“You don’t go anywhere and try to lose or to come second so you always plan to win,” Robinson said on arrival.

“We are pleased to be here where the weather is fantastic so it’s a big bonus to be here. We have been preparing for three to four weeks at Loughborough, so there is the advantage to come here to this lovely island and get some more time in the nets, and (playing) matches against quality opposition is ideal for us.”

He continued: “We have two official warm-up matches and two other matches so we are looking to use these matches and get the right kind of preparations which will be invaluable. It’s bit by bit as we move on in the tournament.

“We have the preparations and then we go into the group stage and the first objective will be to get out of the group stage and on to the semis and the final. This is going to be a keenly-contested tournament. It is really exciting.”

England were the toast of the cricket world last year when they beat India to win the 50-over World Cup before a capacity crowd at Lord’s.

The triumph signalled a giant step forward for the women’s game, a fact acknowledged by Robinson, and success in the T20 World Cup would be another fillip for the side.

England also have former Jamaica and West Indies all-rounder Gareth Breese in their ranks as one of the assistant coaches.

The 42-year-old played a single Test against India in Chennai in 2002 and Robinson said his addition to the management setup was an asset to the squad.

“He is a wealth of knowledge. He will know the grounds and he will know the pitches, so it’s really good to have him in our team as one of the coaches. He is an outstanding coach and a great addition to our support staff,” Robinson said.

“It is an explosion of opportunity in women’s cricket at the moment. There’s tremendous interest at the moment and that’s fantastic. It is a career aspiration for young girls at the moment.

“The countries are treating the women’s game with more respect, we are playing on better grounds, we are getting better pitches and that is making for greater moments. It’s a very skilled game, a highly-skilled game and definitely worth watching.”

In a light moment, Tammy Beaumont took centre stage as she tried her hand at playing the steel pan while her teammates also enjoyed the sounds of calypso music.

The Women’s T20 World Cup runs from November 9 to 24 and will be played at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia and the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua.

England have been drawn in Group A alongside defending champions West Indies, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh while Group B comprises Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Ireland.