The eight Women's Cricket World Cup captains share a collective vision to progress the women's game in their home countries.
The 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup captains Meg Lanning Australia, Bismah Maroof Pakistan, Stafanie Taylor West Indies, Heather Knight England, Sophie Devine New Zealand, Mithali Raj India, Sune Luus South Africa and Nigar Sultana Bangladesh. Photo: ICC
For some the tournament in New Zealand will be a turning point and for others an opportunity to build on the foundation that has already been laid.
But all want to use the pinnacle event to inspire the next generation to follow in their footsteps.
The international stars acknowledge this starts at the grassroots and in the domestic competitions.
The youngest member of the White Ferns' world cup squad, teenage left-arm spinner Fran Jonas, has come through the Auckland system.
She made her debut for New Zealand as a 16-year-old but had to miss last year's tour to England as she stayed in school.
Jonas wasn't born when many of the current White Ferns, including vice-captain Amy Satterthwaite, made their debuts but she is the face of the future.
Auckland Hearts player Fran Jonas. Photo: Photosport Ltd 2020
Jonas' outgoing Auckland Hearts coach Nick White says the association's development programme that has run for just shy of eight years, initially called the DFH (developing future Hearts) more recently a staged academy programme has helped bring through players like Jonas and Molly Penfold who was a late addition to the New Zealand squad.
"The more opportunity there is for our young cricketers to play and learn through play the better, that is why throughout our entire programme we are trying to create as much game time as possible," White said.
White says he's starting to see more people take notice.
"The domestic game, Super Smash especially has been given so much more exposure over the last few years with most games now shown on TV, this has allowed aspiring young girls a great opportunity to see there role models first hand, which I think has been great for the game.
"Not only that but the crowds that are now flooding in to support the girls hang around after for a chat or autograph."
The domestic season concluded early this year to allow players the chance to watch the world cup, which White says is a great way to drive the passions of the next line of White Ferns.
White Ferns captain Sophie Devine has given a special shout-out to her home association of Wellington for developing talent.
"The structures they've got in place, the coaches they've made available, I think Cam Mitchell the head of Cricket Wellington has done a fantastic job in providing opportunities.
"They're always pushing us to be better and they want to be the world's best in New Zealand which I think is a really exciting to be a part of."
Devine's home suburb of Tawa has also produced four White Ferns for this world cup, with sisters Amelia and Jess Kerr and teenage newcomer Georgia Plimmer also in the squad.
Sisters Amelia and Jess Kerr have had a lot of success together with the Wellington Blaze and the White Ferns. Photo: © Copyright Andrew Cornaga 2022 / www.photosport.nz / Photosport Ltd
"For Tawa and I think it's similar around different pockets of New Zealand you just find people that are really passionate about women's cricket and they give a lot.
"It's dedicated family members often or volunteers that provide a lot of time and energy and effort and that really gets the numbers in and that's what's happened in Tawa and I know it happens around the country as well."
Devine says the White Ferns aren't shying away from leaving a legacy for aspiring New Zealand cricketers with their performances this month.
"We know if we play a really exciting brand of cricket that we can get the whole country behind that's going to leave a legacy and I think that's something the Black Caps did particularly well in 2015, they really did have the whole country behind them and we're hoping we can do something similar with igniting that passion."
Devine and some of her team mates were inspired by the New Zealand side that won the Women's Cricket World Cup on home soil in 2000 and she hopes to do the same for young girls.
Captain of the world number one side Australia, Meg Lanning, says it's exciting that young players in the squad to only know life as full-time professional cricketers.
"We know the benefits of being full time and having access to great resources, great coaching, and being able to play a lot more cricket as well and hopefully, that continues to evolve over the next few years as well."
White Ferns captain Sophie Devine playing for the Perth Scorchers in the WBBL. Photo: Photosport
Lanning credits Australia's Women's Big Bash League with providing a platform for younger players to be exposed to different scenarios and pressure situations.
"We've seen with our young kids coming in, Darcie Brown, Tahlia McGrath and others, they don't look overawed by the situation, which I think the WBBL has played a really big role in that.
"It is a strong domestic competition, and alongside the Women's National Cricket League, it provides a great opportunity for players to get game time and learn the game, there's no doubt that that certainly helps our national team to be able to perform as we do."
White Ferns have also benefitted from the WBBL.
Sophie Devine captained the Perth Scorchers to the 2021 title and was named captain of the tournament team. She finished the tournament as the third-highest run-scorer.
Suzie Bates had played in every season of the WBBL but withdrew from the Adelaide Strikers side last year over concerns about getting back to New Zealand under the MIQ system.
Amy Satterthwaite had been one of the WBBL's top performers and was previously named as player of the tournament.
Amelia Kerr also played a season in the competition but withdrew from the latest edition to focus on her mental health.
Pre-Covid the Auckland Hearts had also made the most of preseason tours overseas, two to Brisbane to play the Queensland Fire and one to Hobart to play the Hurricanes, matches that saw the Auckland representatives up against some Australian national team representatives.
India captain Mithali Raj has also highlighted the importance of domestic competitions despite most of her squad being experienced.
"Most of them, even the young players who got into the squad in the last couple of series, had the opportunity of playing leagues so that gives them exposure other than playing the bi-lateral series.
"When you get into a big event like this you depend on experience, it's not just about young players, and having both together it's a good mixture."
White Fern Katey Martin stumps West Indies' Hayley Matthews Photo: Photosport NZ
The West Indies were one of the first women's sides to return to cricket during the pandemic and captain Stafanie Taylor says a change in coaching staff, with former West Indies men's captain Courtney Walsh taking over as head coach in 2020, has had a huge impact.
"I think some of the things we learnt we didn't know and we probably had to learn those things in kiddie cricket," Taylor says.
"It makes you wonder what sort of players we could be if we had learned some of these things sooner.
"What sort of player would I be if I knew at the age of seven or eight, what I know now?"
Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof is looking to the next generation of players from her country and hopes her side can lead the way.
"I think we have a bright future, the mindset has changed in Pakistan and the girls want to play cricket and they want to play as a professional and I hope we can inspire a lot of girls in Pakistan after this world cup by putting up a good performance."
The Women's Cricket World Cup starts on Friday in Mount Maunganui.