A youthful White Ferns squad will have to turn around their recent poor run of form this weekend, as their T20 World Cup campaign kicks off against India in Dubai.
The White Ferns have produced some disappointing performances leading into the tournament, as they lost 10 T20 matches in a row. An unwanted streak that was recently broken with an eight-wicket win in a warm-up match against South Africa.
White Ferns captain Sophie Devine said that the team haven't always been focusing on results in their recent matches.
"For the last 18-24 months, because we've had such a young group, what success looks like has been a bit different in terms of it's not always focusing on results," Devine said.
"Absolutely we want to win games of cricket, don't get me wrong about that, but when you have players that are so young and inexperienced in their cricketing journey sometimes success looks slightly different.
"It's about how they've grown as a player, what have they learnt and how have they developed.
"I think everyone wants to win this World Cup, that's certainly the goal for everyone here and it's no different for me, I'd love to lift the trophy with this bunch of players."
The White Ferns haven’t had much success at previous T20 tournaments, but were back-to-back runners-up all the way back in 2009 and 2010.
Following their recent three-match series against Australia, Devine said the White Ferns "thrive" in international tournaments, however the Kiwis have had to settle for three fifth-placed finishes at the last three tournaments.
"I think the great thing is one-off games in a World Cup is where we thrive, we're really looking forward to the opportunity and everything starts back at zero."
Devine has said that she will be stepping down as captain of the White Ferns in the T20 format following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup.
White Ferns assistant coach Craig McMillan said they "ticked off all the boxes" in their warm-up match victory against South Africa.
"These two warm up games have served what we needed," said McMillan.
That win against South Africa was followed by yet another loss to England, who prove to be another one of the favourites for the tournament.
McMillan said he thinks the heat will play a huge part in the World Cup and that the conditions will be more favourable towards spin bowlers.
Forecasts currently show that temperature in Dubai pushing 40 degrees Celsius (feels like 47 degrees Celcius) on some days,with an excessive heat warning for the region for the next week.
The White Ferns depth may be tested in the UAE, and McMillan said he wants his 15-player squad to be "brave and aggressive" starting from the first match.
"It's crucial in T20 cricket to take that aggressive nature out into the middle - it's what the best sides in the world do.
"That's what we've been talking to the girls about, being brave in terms of what they do with both bat and ball, but also taking that aggressive option because that's what T20 cricket is all about."
The White Ferns take on India in Dubai at 3am NZ time Saturday morning.
They will then have to face three-time defending champions Australia, followed by matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
So far at the tournament, hosts Bangladesh have beaten Scotland by 16 runs, and Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by 31 runs.
Bangladesh was forced to move their hosting of the tournament to the UAE after political turmoil in the country.
White Ferns T20 World Cup squad:
Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Melie Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.
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