McGrath eyes strong finish to season against New Zealand

Tahlia McGrath, who has stepped into the leadership role in the absence of regular captain Alyssa Healy, is relishing the opportunity to guide the team alongside vice-captain Ash Gardner.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity to lead the side again," McGrath told reporters ahead of the first T20I in Auckland.

"I always enjoy working with Ash [Gardner] as vice-captain as well, and for us as a group, just really excited to kick off what's been a long season for us and hopefully finish on a high with a series win over here in New Zealand."

With Australia’s attention largely on the upcoming ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India later this year, the three T20Is present a unique challenge to McGrath’s side. However, the skipper sees them as a valuable chance to refine their approach in the shortest format.

“It’s an odd one for us. Just three T20s at this stage, with our focus being at a 50-over World Cup and also a bit of a break.

“But it's also a really good opportunity for us, with not many T20s on the international schedule before the World Cup coming up soon. Every time we get to pull on the Australian shirt, it's always a really good opportunity to go out there and keep getting better as a group.”

Read: Australia bracing for ‘full strength’ T20 World Cup champions New Zealand

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