Sophie Devine Picks Toughest To Beat Teams At World Cup: ‘India At Home Are A Huge Threat’ | Cricket News

Sophie Devine supports the young players to excel for New Zealand at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, according to the ICC’s official website.

The 36-year-old, who led New Zealand to their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup victory last year, now aims to achieve an ICC trophy double in India and Sri Lanka. Devine believes the emerging players will be crucial to the White Ferns’ success in the upcoming tournament.

“It’s still quite an emotional thing to admit but with the young talent coming up through our squad right now, I can’t help but feel excited about our World Cup squad,” Devine wrote in her column for the ICC, as reported on the ICC’s official website.

“It’s evident that this tournament will highlight the new talent in New Zealand as we aim to clinch the title for the first time since 2000,” she noted.

This combination of experience and fresh talent was essential for New Zealand as they overcame India, West Indies, and, most importantly, South Africa in the final to end a 24-year wait for an ICC trophy. The triumph marked their first major title since winning the ODI World Cup in 2000 under Emily Drumm’s captaincy.

“Everyone’s been putting in the hard yards which has been pleasing to see,” Devine added.

“The likes of our younger players, Eden Carson and Izzy Gaze, have really come into their own having been involved with the White Ferns for a couple of years now. I’m excited to see what they will bring to the tournament,” she noted.

Devine also mentioned that experienced players would bolster New Zealand’s chances.

“The older heads like Maddy Green, she’s been excellent and really taken her game to the next level. Brooke Halliday is another really important part of our team,” she remarked.

The White Ferns will start their campaign against their neighbours Australia on October 1 in Indore, and skipper Sophie Devine believes that facing the defending champions at the beginning will benefit her side.

“Every team will present a different challenge, but we know the defending champions Australia are going to be pretty tough to beat. Playing them first up will be a great start to the tournament,” she added.

The New Zealand skipper also mentioned that the two home teams, India and Sri Lanka, will be tough competitors as they are likely to thrive in the subcontinental conditions.

“India at home are also a huge threat, in terms of the support they have and the depth of their group, and Sri Lanka as well; we’ve seen that playing at home is a real strength for them. Those three teams are certainly going to be difficult to come up against,” she noted.

New Zealand will face India A on September 25 and India on September 27 in their warm-up fixtures before the tournament.

With ANI Inputs