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Australia skipper Meg Lanning gave an update on senior player Alyssa Healy's availability for the big semi-final against India and said that they have to be on top of their game as Team "India are a great team."
Women in Blue will take on Australia on Thursday in the ICC Women's T20I World Cup semi-final match at the Newlands in Cape Town. Healy missed the final group game against South Africa after her Player of the Match showing against Sri Lanka. The wicketkeeper batter, who is one of the tournament's top five run scorers, missed the game due to a quad injury, but Lanning expects her to be available for the semi-final game. "We've got a full squad. Alyssa Healy is fit and available, which is great for us. She's had a great tournament so far and is going to play an important role. So that's nice, but it does make it pretty difficult to get it down to XI," Lanning said in a pre-match press conference. Up against India, a team that the Aussies have faced frequently recently, Lanning believes that, while familiarity exists, there may be unexpected elements thrown into the mix in T20 cricket. "I feel like anything can happen. And we understand that pretty well. But we're as planned as we can be in terms of their individuals and their sort of team style of play. But you can't predict what's going to happen. So, we need to be able to adapt and sort of play what's in front of us. I think that's really important in coming with all the plans that you want," Lanning said. "But if you're not able to adapt at the time and change with sort of what's happening, then I think that's when you get into trouble. So, we feel like we're in a good position to be able to do that if we need to. But yeah, as I said, T20 cricket can change very, very quickly," she added. "And we know that, and we know that we have to be on our game for the whole 40 overs. So that's the challenge that we've got because we know India are a great team. And if we don't bring that, then they'll certainly be allowed to play some good cricket. So, we're excited about the challenge," said the Australia skipper. The Australian skipper stressed that this was a strong Indian side and that it elevates the challenge that awaits the five-time champions. "I think that they've shown that they're not relying on one or two players. They've got some great depth as well. So, for us as a team, we've had to prepare for all their players to do well. And sometimes it's not going to be your day. But as long as someone steps up, then that's the most important thing. And that's what they've shown to be able to do. They've really created that real strong group of players who have played a lot of cricket together now. And they're able to deliver. So, we know they're strong. And that sort of just makes the challenge even greater and something we look forward to," Lanning said. (ANI)
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