A whole chapter is about to open in Claire Connor's England cricket caeer

The 23-year-old all-rounder, from Hove, will go in first when the England tourists take on Australia and New Zealand in a series of nine one-day internationals over the next two months.

Connor, who teaches sport and English at Brighton College, will be following in the footsteps of some legendary figures when she steps out at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the opening international against Australia on January 29.

Great openers like Bobby Simpson, Geoff Boycott and Sunil Gavaskar have trodden the same turf and Connor is thrilled.

She said: "I've opened the batting for England before but this will be a new experience for me in. This time I've been picked to open, before it's always been forced on me through injury to others or if we have been trying something new.

"To open the batting for your country against Australia at the SGC is the biggest opportunity any English cricketer could have. I've worked my way up the batting order from nine and ten. It's the biggest challenge of the tour for me and I'm determined to succeed."

Connor, who was flying out today, is also vice-captain to Karen Smithies and will use next month's second leg of the tour in New Zealand to prepare for the World Cup there in December.

Women's cricket in this country has taken off with her on board.

"It's escalated beyond our wildest dreams, particularly over the last year. We've probably got as many internationals as the men now. We've got good sponsorship and the backing of the ECB.

"I'm lucky to have done what I've done at such a young age, but I've got where I am through self-belief. It's helped me perform well, I'm determined, naturally very competitive and aim to stay on board and keep going up."

And that means getting the best mental preparation.

Connor said: "Before each ball I'll tell myself to play it slightly later, to keep my hands high through the ball and make sure my weight transference through the shot is right. I'm determined to keep it going through the whole tour. Apparently these things will become habit once I've repeated them to myself 4,000 times, according to our sports pychologist!

"It's you're own personal approach before you go out as well. Some like it noisy and vibrant, but I like it quiet for a short period.

"You get to a level in sport where everyone has pretty much the same amount of talent, but what defines a good sportsman from a winner is that concentration and mental edge.

"That's what southern hemisphere countries like South Africa, Australia and New Zealand seem to have and that's something we can learn about on this tour."

Connor, who became vice captain last summer when England played India, has her eyes on the captaincy when Smithies decides to retire. She said: "It's a dream to become captain but realistic. Hopefully it's a natural progression. People made encouraging noises about my first matches as vice captain against India. It isn't an added pressure, it's a motivation. It helps my own game. I like to think tactically during games. I like having to make decisions, looking at weaknesses and how to exploit them, who should bowl to who and how to place the field.

"Everyone must take responsibility for themselves, but being a captain or vice captain means you take on even more and I enjoy it. I even like the role of selector which comes with it.

"I'm still young and suddenly I'm in a position of authority, of influence and everything I do is watched."

Guiding Sussex into the first division of the National Championships last summer also helped improve her skippering skills.

"It was a fantastic week. I played the best innings of my life, 122 against East Anglia. I absolutely thrived on the captaincy. I don't like playing as much when I'm not captain or vice captain. It's not wanting the authority I just like it. Some people don't, do they? Some just want to concentrate on their own game. Maybe I like it so I don't get too introspective and down on myself."

Connor hopes the tour, which also includes five one-day international in New Zealand, will get England's year off to a flying start with the World Cup to look forward to at the end of it.

"I'll keep working at my game and I'm sure all my squad mates this time round will. We're not expecting it easy but we've done our homework and fitness levels are high. We'll be ready."

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