KEY POINTS:
Auckland have high hopes of being competitive when the domestic women's competitions start today.
And players in all six provincial teams have the ideal incentive, with squads to be named later in the summer for the World Cup in New South Wales in February and the world Twenty20 championship in England in the middle of the year. But new Auckland coach, former international Maia Lewis, is preaching a feet-on-the-ground message.
"The danger is you try and focus on that. I've said that if you play well for your province everything takes care of itself at the next
level. Just concentrate on that," Lewis said.
Auckland have three players in the White Ferns extended training squad -
Ingrid Cronin-Knight, Ros Kember and Prashilla Mishtry - and four from the New Zealand A squad, Katie Perkins, Victoria Lind, Megan Murphy and Sasha Bullen, although Cronin-Knight and Kember will miss this weekend's
matches in Alexandra because of injury.
"They're all knocking on the door so things look good for the future," Lewis said.
Auckland face Otago in the opening Twenty20 round today, and again
when the two-day State League starts tomorrow. Canterbury won both titles last season, but Lewis believes the overall standard will be much
closer this season.
Auckland have regained Natalie Scripps, a former international plagued by knee injuries in the past two seasons and, with 124 wickets in 68 games, the highest wicket taker in the league's history. They were
third in the league last season and bottom in the Twenty20. Teams play the same opponents over three successive days in the two disciplines.
In the other first-round games, Northern Spirit hosts Wellington Blaze at Mt Maunganui, while Central Hinds play Canterbury Magicians in
New Plymouth.
