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“Everyone in the squad is taking something home that they can work on for when we come back here in September, so it’s been hugely worthwhile for us,” Healy said. “The results went our way but from a big picture perspective, and what we’re building towards in September, October, I think we got everything we possibly could out of this series.”
“It’s obviously great to have someone like Tay back, she’s a real point of different within world cricket, with the sheer pace she bowls with, and Soph Molineux’s consistency is outstanding so they’re both real attributes to our side,” Healy said.
“We’ve had different players of the match and different players of the series across the two series, so that’s been really pleasing as well. Everybody’s standing up and when they need to, and grabbing opportunities which is cool.”
Although the margins of victory were convincing in all six matches, Healy felt her team had been put under pressure by the home side. In the first ODI they were 48 for 4 and 146 for 7 before the lower order lifted them to a strong total and in the final T20I had to work hard to post 155 from being 98 for 5.
“In particular with the ball they [Bangladesh] challenged our batting line-up,” she said. “They will be a real threat come the World Cup. Home conditions are a real advantage and I think the team will fly under the radar a little bit. They’ll be really dangerous for some of the top sides.”
The conditions, especially the heat, also pushed the visitors with Healy prepared for more of the same at the World Cup although did not expect the pitches early in the tournament to offer the extreme turn seen at times in this series. Australia will split their matches between Dhaka and Sylhet which was not part of this tour.
“We’ve heard it [the heat] will be even worse come September, October so we’ll have to wait and see what it throws at us there,” Healy said. “Naturally being an ICC event, I think the wickets will start out being really good then probably tire throughout the tournament.”
The central contract list will be announced early next week while the players themselves now have time off following a hectic season which included series against West Indies, India and South Africa alongside the WBBL and, for many, the WPL.
They will return to action with a T20I series against New Zealand in September as a lead-in to the World Cup, which will be followed straight after by the WBBL. They then host India in December and travel to New Zealand before Christmas ahead of the multiformat Ashes in January.
“We’ve got a great break now. Our group is looking forward to going home and having a little bit of time off and a great opportunity to refresh and actually get ourselves right for the back end of the year, which is a huge summer for us,” Healy said.
Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo
Source: ESPN Crickinfo