Stand-in captain Chinelle Henry said the Caribbean side wanted to make the most of the early assistance on offer for the bowlers.
“We’re going to have a bowl first. Obviously, with the conditions and the pitch having been covered for most of the day, we’re just trying to make use of that early on and hoping for a good start,” Henry said at the toss.
India captain Smriti Mandhana revealed that her side would also have preferred to field first but was happy to use the match as another opportunity for the batters to spend time in the middle.
“We were looking to field first as well. We’ve batted quite a lot in the last two or three months, so because it was a warm-up match, we were looking to field today and chase. Again, it’s a good opportunity for all the batters to get into some good nick,” Mandhana said.
The pitch at Cardiff offered an interesting mix of conditions. While there was visible grass cover and moisture on the surface, batters were expected to make the most of the Powerplay before the pitch began to grip later in the innings. The square boundaries were considerably larger than the straight boundaries, making length bowling a key factor for the seamers.
India are using the warm-up fixture to fine-tune their combinations before the World Cup. Mandhana indicated that while the team has a preferred XI in mind, game situations during the warm-up phase would determine player involvement.
“We do have an eleven on paper, but depending on the situation we want to make sure everyone feels prepared before the World Cup,” she said.
Both teams arrived in England well ahead of the tournament and have already had a chance to acclimatise to the conditions. Mandhana noted that India had experienced different weather during their earlier training sessions.
“We came here early for the series, so we’ve had a good look at the conditions. Those were a little different because there was a lot more sunshine around. Today is proper English weather, so it’s good to have experienced both,” she said.
For West Indies, Henry is leading the side in the absence of regular captain Hayley Matthews and viewed the game as another important step in their World Cup preparations.
“It’s an opportunity for myself to lead this team. With the World Cup coming up, it’s a great opportunity to lead the girls going into the tournament. It’s about getting as prepared as possible for that first game,” Henry said.
