Captain Alyssa Healy knows opposition sides will come at them ‘really hard’ in the UAE where her team is aiming to win a fourth title in a row

Australia are happy to be the hunted. And Alyssa Healy, captain of the all-conquering women’s cricket team, expects her side to relish being challenged like never before as they chase a historic fourth consecutive T20 World Cup title.

The six-time champions remain the side to beat as the likes of India and England, and last year’s runners-up South Africa, again try to knock them off their perch. Australia have become one of the most dominant sides in any sport across more than a decade of success, but for their budding rivals the hope is that the growth of women’s franchise cricket, and the greater opportunities for more players to be exposed to top-tier competition, has at least closed the gap.