Aussie women captain Rolten 61 runs short of 4,000 ODI runs

Darwin, Australia, July 5 (UNI) Australia women's captain Karen Rolton believes her world champion team will again have to be at its brilliant best to beat New Zealand in this month's Rose Bowl Series to be played here.

The series opens with a Twenty20 match on July 19 and the 32-year-old South Australian, who won the inaugural ICC Women's Player of the Year award in Mumbai last year, reveals that it was her team's never-say-die attitude that in the past snatched victories from the jaws of defeat.

''Our team has a never-say-die attitude which seems to get us over the line in tight games. I think as a team we handle pressure very well, especially when things aren't going our way,'' said Rolton, who is 61 runs short of becoming only the third woman after compatriot Belinda Clark (4,844) and New Zealand's Debbie Hockley (4,064) to complete 4,000 ODI runs.

''This series means a lot to me as every series does but it is now getting close to the next World Cup so each series is a good preparation for it,'' Roltan said and added ''it is important to try as many players as we can to see who can perform against the best teams in the world so we can have the best performing players ready for action in 2009''.

Rolton said Australia was producing quality women cricketers because the team was performing well, adding that the merger with the International Cricket Council (ICC) is benefitting the players.

The women's team has lot more resources available to it since we amalgamated with Cricket Australia.

Rolton feels Twenty20 format is one way of promoting women's cricket.

''If we play Twenty20 games before the men's Twenty20 matches, it will give a big boost to women's cricket. In South Australia we did this at state level and we were able to play in front of quite a few people which was great,'' she said, UNI