Cricket: NZ women show lot of confidence

Sophie Devine is a key player. Photo / Getty Images

The early signs are encouraging for New Zealand ahead of the women's world T20 start this weekend.

The young squad beat India by 17 runs in their first warmup fixture this week and were playing England, also in Dhaka, Bangladesh, last night.

"The most important thing to me is if you haven't got a happy group most of the time it will work against you, and we've got a happy group," coach Warren Lees said.

The former test wicketkeeper took over as national women's coach a fortnight before their home series against the West Indies, which produced a 3-0 ODI result and 4-0 in the T20s against an albeit weakened touring group.

"They weren't at their best but I think we've made some excellent progress," Lees said.

He's particularly pleased with the development of three new players, Canterbury's Hayley Jensen, Auckland's Holly Huddleston and Northern Districts' Felicity Leydon-Davis, all of whom made their debuts against the West Indies.

"They already look like they've fitted into the group," he added.

The key players are expected to be captain Suzie Bates and experienced duo Sophie Devine and Nicola Browne.

Bates, New Zealand's woman player of the year and the world's fourth-ranked T20 batsman, has worked with Lees while he was Otago coach. She admires his positive attitude; he rates her ability highly.

"My whole job with her is to make sure she's able to play at her best each day," Lees said.