Took time to reflect on the World Cup; training camps have been incredible, says Molly Strano

Molly Strano, the Australian off-spinner, feels that despite the restrictions on training due to lockdown, her preparations for the upcoming international series between Australia and New Zealand have been incredible.



"It’s one of the first pre-seasons I’ve been involved in a long time where all the Australian girls have been around for the whole winter," she told cricket.com.au.



"To be able to bowl to the likes of Ellyse Perry, Meg Lanning, Elyse Villani, Sophie Molineux, Annabel Sutherland each week at training has been a great test for me.”



Strano was a part of Australia's victorious campaign in the recently concluded T20 World Cup after making the last-minute cut to the squad as an injury replacement for Tayla Vlaeminck.



Since then, she has not played any competitive cricket during the off-season, and she will be returning to action during the T20I series against New Zealand which is all set to begin on September 26. Reflecting on the lockdown during the last few months, Strano felt that it gave her time to reflect on the World Cup success.



ALSO READ: Molly Strano feels WBBL played a big role in Australian players becoming household names



"It ended up being a very, very quiet off-season. I normally love to travel and get out of Australia if I can, but this year I was bound to Melbourne. Which wasn’t bad in a way, just to cool my jets and refresh and give me some time to reflect on what was a really special season to be involved in, culminating in the World Cup."



Strano, who has nine wickets in seven T20Is for Australia, also talked about her preparations in the bio-secure training camp and the variations she has been working on.



"I’ve been working on a few different bits and pieces, angles from the crease, over and around the wicket, and playing with my speeds,” said the 27-year-old.



"It’s been perfect trying to roll that out against some of the best batters in the world and seeing if what I’m working on is up to standard. So, despite training being somewhat interrupted, to have the calibre of those players at training to battle and contest, it’s really helped my game.”



ALSO READ: WBBL06 - Everything you need to know about the squads so far



The T20 superstar is the all-time leading wicket-taker in Women’s Big Bash League and she also holds the record for the best bowling figures for an Australian in T20Is. She will be continuing her training in Brisbane, where the three T20Is and three ODIs against New Zealand will be played, along with five other Victorian cricketers in the squad.



Meanwhile, players from New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory are travelling to Brisbane and are expected to join them in training after completing the mandatory two-week quarantine, and the remaining squad will be reaching Brisbane five days ahead on the first T20I against New Zealand.