‘Not looking to defend anything’ - Melie Kerr keen on a fresh start as New Zealand begin Women's T20 World Cup campaign

Defending champions New Zealand are set to kick off their ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against West Indies in Southampton on Saturday, June 13 but skipper Melie Kerr has made it clear that her side is not living in the past and are clear in their target.

Leading the White Ferns at a global event for the first time since taking over the captaincy from Sophie Devine in February, Kerr believes the team's focus is firmly on the present rather than defending the title they won two years ago.

Speaking ahead of New Zealand's tournament opener, Kerr stressed that every World Cup presents a new challenge and that her side is approaching the competition with a fresh mindset.

"I think it's a really cool opportunity for us to come in having won the World Cup two years ago and rather than putting too much thought into it, I think what happened two years ago was two years ago, and we start again when we get to this World Cup,” Kerr said at her pre-match press conference.

"We're not looking to defend anything. We want to be positive and go out and play a brand that we know we can play that is good enough to win World Cup, so if anything, it gives us belief that we know we can win a World Cup," she continued.

Unlike their title-winning campaign in 2024, when they entered the competition on the back of nine consecutive T20I defeats, New Zealand arrive at this year's World Cup with considerably better momentum. The White Ferns have won eight of their last 11 T20Is and also secured victories in both warm-up matches against Bangladesh and South Africa.

Despite the encouraging run of results, Kerr remains cautious and believes previous performances will count for little once the tournament begins.

"We've seen that whether you go into a World Cup with no wins under your belts or with lots of wins like Australia had a couple of years ago, it doesn't matter, you've just got to turn up for each and every game. For us that's tomorrow against the West Indies, and we both start on zero, and you've got to turn up and trust your skills," she concluded.

New Zealand will be aiming to carry their recent form into the competition when they face West Indies, with Kerr hoping her side can once again showcase the fearless brand of cricket that helped them lift the trophy two years ago.