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[with Lisa Keightley]

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This is the fourth in a series of interviews CricInfo will conduct during the tournament build-up with the leading players from the participating nations.

Widely regarded as one of the most outstanding women's batsmen in the game at present, Lisa Keightley has already climbed up the ladder to be the fifth highest scorer in One-Day Internationals in the course of just 36 career appearances.

On 7 February 1997, in just her eighth match, Keightley recorded the highest individual tally in a One-Day International with 156 not out against Pakistan at Melbourne.

In tandem with Belinda Clark, the player who broke that record in turn 10 months later, Keightley forms part of the most formidable contemporary opening combination in women's cricket - one which has caused many headaches for opposition bowlers with a succession of dominant partnerships.

With an impressive century conversion rate (she has three to her name so far), perhaps her best innings was her unbeaten 113 against England on the hallowed turf of Lord's in 1998. It was also a performance which announced her arrival as one of the world's finest strokemakers.

Career Record (up to and including 9 February 2000):

BATTING M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St Tests 5 7 0 286 90 40.85 - 3 - - One-Day Internationals 36 35 8 1127 156* 41.74 3 6 11 - World Cups 3 3 1 94 60 47.00 - 1 3 -
BOWLING O M R W Ave Best 5w SR Econ Tests 4 2 9 0 - - - - 2.25 One-Day Internationals 1 0 9 0 - - - - 9.00 World Cups - - - - - - - - -

CricInfo Australia's Editor John Polack caught up with Lisa to chat with her about the forthcoming CricInfo Women's World Cup, to be held at Lincoln and Christchurch from 29 November to 23 December 2000.

Listen to Full Interview Audio

[Duration: 13 minutes 49 seconds]

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JP: Lisa: First of all, thanks for allowing us here at CricInfo some of your time today. It's great to have you with us.

LK: No problem. Thank you very much for asking me to come on board.

JP: We wondered if we could start off by asking you, as we get closer and closer to November 29, just how much the World Cup is actually beginning to dominate your everyday thinking?

LK: At the moment, it's pretty much every day. With training of course, we're focusing mainly and totally on the World Cup. Preparation is pretty much underway and something that I'm thinking about nearly every day.

JP: Is that process made a little easier for you maybe by the fact that you actually work full-time in cricket (with Cricket New South Wales) and that you therefore have the chance to think about the sport 9 to 5 during the week anyway?

LK: Yes, it's pretty much in my face day to day now. So cricket's a part of my sporting career and now on the business side of things as well. It's something that obviously I love doing and I'm happy to work within cricket and of course, that has an overall effect on my thinking about cricket from day to day.

JP: Obviously, a crucial step along the way on the path to New Zealand is the naming of the final fourteen-strong squad on November 6. But what's the general program in terms of preparation between now and when the team plays New Zealand in the opening match?

LK: At the moment, I'm solely focusing on our National League programme. Of course, we've got to be in good form there to obviously get selected for our national side. So, over the last two weeks, solely concentrating on my club cricket, making sure all my skills are up to date, and getting a lot time in the middle. Also with our National League and playing for New South Wales, getting good scores on the board and winning there, and getting the confidence up to know that I'm batting well and fielding well and doing the right things firstly to get into the Australian side - for which obviously the big date is November 6. So although I'm thinking of cricket and the World Cup from day to day, in the short term I'm pretty much focusing on my club cricket and also our state cricket, which is obviously the big stepping stone to getting into the Australian side.

JP: I probably shouldn't pre-empt anything in that sense but, once selection is actually made, what's the programme from there beyond November 6? You're presumably getting together for a few days before you go away?

LK: I think, once the team's picked, we go into camp on about the 16th to the 18th in Melbourne. We have pretty much a run-through of getting everyone together, having a few practice matches, training pretty much day to day, and then we fly out to New Zealand, play our practice games, and then we're pretty much straight into the World Cup.

JP: As for the tournament itself, Australia's naturally going to go in there as the favourite. As someone who's been pretty much at the heart and soul of what Australia's been doing for the last few years, where do you think the keys to success in the World Cup itself actually lie? We obviously don't want you to let your opponents in on too many secrets but, if you guys are to win it, what are the things that are going to work most clearly in your favour, the biggest strengths that you have as a team in other words?

LK: Obviously, the main thing is gelling together within the side, making sure we have a good balance of bowlers and batters and that our fielding is up to scratch. I think our fielding is a big part of it and obviously our bowling. Going over there, in terms of winning it, I think it's pretty much out of three or four teams and it's pretty much whoever's gelling the best and quickest. Because it's at the start of the season, that's a big factor. So it's pretty much making sure you're ready for the World Cup and that you're ready to play and doing everything that you possibly can to be playing good cricket for that tournament at that time.

JP: In that sense, it's probably an advantage that it's in New Zealand and it is pretty much falling into a nice position in the middle of your season?

LK: Yeah, well, England's been a bit lucky the last two World Cups because they've actually been in the winter so we've got to jump on them for that advantage. But New Zealand and a few of the other countries are in the same boat as us. They'll be ready to play and doing everything that they can to win. So we've got that jump on everyone and especially England - they'll be doing it hard but I'm sure they'll be prepared as well as they can.

JP: On to probably one of the more specific aspects of the World Cup: now, you form one half (with your great friend, club, state and international teammate Belinda Clark) of what not too many people would argue is the strongest opening pair in the modern women's game. So among other things, your knowledge of attacks the world over is probably as advanced as it comes. For people who are going to be following the tournament closely, who are the three or four bowlers that they should be looking to for some of the more brilliant performances of this event?

LK: Within our side, obviously Cathryn Fitzpatrick and Charmaine Mason are among the threats. Especially Charmaine, she's been bowling really well at club and in the last two national series. And playing for Australia, she's taken, I think, the most wickets. I think she'll be one to look out for and one who'll be picking up a lot of wickets. And of course, I think the spinners are going to come into it as well for us and obviously India will have some nice little spinners there. Of course, there's one or two in every team that you'll have to look out for, New Zealand being one of them.

JP: How glad in that sense are you that you're actually playing for Australia? You do encounter them obviously when you play against Victoria, but the combination of Fitzpatrick and Mason really is absolutely outstanding. How much of a relief is it to be standing there in the field actually watching them bowl rather than facing them?

LK: Well, I actually like the challenge of facing them. It's always a good challenge and you know that, if you score some runs, they're going to be some well earned runs. In that fact, I like the challenge of playing them. But also it's nice to be on the other foot when we're playing for Australia and actually seeing them cause a bit of havoc with the other batters. So it's good playing against them because you know you're playing against some of the best bowlers in the world but, on the other foot, it's nice standing in slips and watching them pelt them down at the other batters and causing them a bit of havoc.

JP: Strangely enough in your remarkable career, one place where you haven't always completely clicked has been New Zealand. Not that the other sides and bowlers are probably going to be too keen on hearing an answer in the affirmative here, but is that something you have at the back of your mind and that might act as an extra little incentive over there maybe?

LK: No, not really. I really haven't thought about it that much. I think that, with New Zealand, I'm getting to play them a bit better. Because we're playing against New Zealand so often, it probably stands out a bit more than the other countries. Playing in New Zealand is a little bit different obviously to Australia but it's one of the things you have to overcome in the tournament and just get on with it and try and score as many runs as you can. I haven't really thought of it as much but I'm trying to plan for this World Cup to be a good and successful one for me.

JP: How much do you know in advance about the conditions at the three grounds there and do you expect the wickets there to play a lot differently to the ones at home?

LK: Usually when we go to New Zealand, they play a little bit slower. But the bounce is a bit lower. I've been out to Lincoln once to have a look at their Academy and the grounds look nice. They really haven't played there so I'm not too sure on that aspect. But when we play the practice matches, it's just something that you adapt to as best you can and get on with it. I've only seen from the outside, I haven't actually played there so we'll just have to wait and see what happens. It's pretty much like when we go away for our National League; a lot of the grounds we haven't played at so you've just got to prepare yourself as best you can and be positive when you go out there.

JP: In terms of that actual preparation, is there much you can do at home to get yourself ready to play on lower, slower wickets. It's probably not all that easy but is there anything you can do here or is it something you almost literally have to play by ear as you go along and adjust to it once you get there?

LK: The main thing here, I think, is making sure that your confidence is high and you're doing all your skills training and getting them up to the highest possible standard that you can. Making sure you're scoring a lot of runs. And then, when we go over there, basically you've just got to slow your hands down. That's what I say to myself anyway: just slow my hands down and let the ball come to me and not rush my shots too much. Once you start doing that and are hitting the ball nicely, I think you're up and away. Mainly here, all we can do is make sure our skills are up to date and we're playing good cricket at the time and then we'll go over there and adjust accordingly as we go.

JP: There have clearly been some huge moments in your career (things like a century at Lord's; a score of 156* which for a while stood as the highest ever individual tally in One-Day Internationals; a succession of outstanding partnerships with Belinda obviously; and involvement in some really memorable Australian triumphs along the way). But, among all of those - I mean you weren't actually on the ground in the Final - was being part of the winning World Cup squad in 1997 the ultimate highlight for you so far?

LK: Yeah, definitely. Even though I wasn't playing, just being there, being my first tour to India, seeing a different country, just soaking up the atmosphere - they're so keen on their cricket. Getting sixty-odd thousand to the Final. As a player, I've always dreamt of winning a World Cup and being a part of a World Cup winning side. It was definitely a highlight, something that I don't think any player will ever forget. And even though I wasn't playing, I've played many games for Australia and as a unit, if you're not playing, well you're still part of the team. I still had just as much fun as everyone else. Hopefully, this time we can do it all again but this time I'll be playing.

JP: Having been sitting there watching and seen the sixty thousand people come in, what was the immediate reaction of the guys in the dressing room about all of that? It must have been something you weren't really prepared for - did it take you by incredible surprise and what was the general reaction?

LK: Well, they said that there was going to be a big crowd but when the actual game started, it wasn't that full. As the game got on, when we were bowling first, they just started piling in and they just kept coming and coming in droves. So by about the halfway point of our fifty overs, they pretty much had the sixty thousand in there. Because they were mainly female, they weren't making that much noise, you could just hear a sort of a hum through them talking. And then, as the game got closer and more exciting, and we started to getting a few more wickets and then things started turning our way when we were batting, it got noisier and noisier. It was probably something that we weren't prepared for but we knew there was a chance that there was going to be a big crowd. Because we don't play in front of such big crowds, the girls were more excited than anything. We just couldn't wait to see what the atmosphere would be like and if it would lift our performance. Whether we'd have to talk a bit louder on the field. Or when we were calling, your communication between you and your other batter just had to be that little bit more spot on because you couldn't hear the calls. They loved it over there and if we could get more crowds like that, we'd be jumping at the chance.

JP: Absolutely. I guess great memories lead on to great expectations so maybe we might finish up by asking you how much you crave another World Cup win this time and what you think it would mean to you to actually be part of another one?

LK: It's something that's very hard to do. Seeing we won the last one, everyone is out after us to take that mantle off us. It's never easy to back up; that's why we have to do things a little bit better, a little bit harder than what we were doing before. We're very keen to try and get the double because not too many teams can do that and that will show Australia has the dominance at current. And to do it over in New Zealand when New Zealand are one of our main rivals and someone that we've played many times in finals will be the absolute ...

JP: The icing on the cake maybe?

LK: The icing on the cake. You couldn't ask for much more if you could go over there. One is to make the Final and two (if we make the Final and are playing New Zealand) to beat them in New Zealand in the World Cup would be just fantastic and something that would be very special for the players that backed up in the last World Cup. To do it again would be fantastic.

JP: Lisa, that's great. Thank you very much for allowing us so much of your time today and we wish you all the best of success both in the lead-up to, and during, the World Cup. And we hope you have an absolutely great tournament.

LK: Thank you very much, thanks for letting me come on.