Our batters will fire: Kasperek

New Zealand were given a mighty scare by Bangladesh, before they overcame them by just 17 runs in a Group A fixture on (February 29). Leigh Kasperek who took three wickets and kept Bangladesh's batters to just 74, feels her batters will bounce back against Australia on Monday (Match 2).

“I don’t think it’s a cause for concern,” said Kasperek. “They’ll probably be a little bit disappointed in how they’ve gone but they’ve been hitting well in training and we’re lucky we’ve got the number one and number two batters in the world.”

New Zealand were bundled out for just 91 with Rachel Priest top-scoring with 26. 

“I think the very fact that against both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka we’ve managed to get over the line proves that. Other people have been stepping up. You want your big players to step up in big games, so hopefully they can do that against Australia on Monday (March 2).”

Apart from Kasperek, Hayley Jensen with a career-best three wickets for 11 runs was impressive too and that augurs well for New Zealand ahead of their crucial clash against Australia.

“Hayley and Sophie did that really well, so credit to them. When you’re defending a small total, you have to switch on more than you ever would normally and do anything you can to defend it.”

For Bangladesh medium pacer Ritu Moni, playing her first match in the tournament, picked up four wickets but unfortunately, her efforts went in vain due to some lacklustre batting from her batters.

“That was really a poor performance from us,” said Ritu. “Credit goes to New Zealand for the way they bowled.”

“The coaches always emphasise bowling in the right spot on the right line. I’ve worked hard on that and I’m pleased to pull it off. We need to play regular cricket series with the top-ranked teams as that is the best way to help us improve.”