Katie Levick in good place as Northern Diamonds continue 2024 preparations in Mumbai

Coach Dani Hazell and her squad will fly to India today for a tour which runs through until Tuesday March 26.

They will be joined in the cricket-mad city by regional rivals Central Sparks, who they will face in a pair of friendlies on March 20 and 24 added to another game against to be confirmed local opposition.

England duo Hollie Armitage, the Diamonds captain, and Bess Heath will not travel as they are on international duty in New Zealand, while assistant coach Kyle Coetzer is also with England A in the land of the long white cloud.

“We’re at the stage now where everyone is really keen to get outside,” said leg-spinner Katie Levick, pictured.

“It’s been a really good block of training indoors.

“We have some new staff with us – Matt (Anderson) our new strength and conditioning coach is one – and everyone has really bought into the work ethic.

“I’m really excited to see how it all comes together in Mumbai.”

Levick continued: “I’ve never been to India. But as soon as it got announced, I was like, ‘That’s gold for a spinner’. There will be plenty of overs under the belt, and it’s exciting to get stuck into new conditions and visit a new country. I can’t wait.”

Levick had another outstanding year in 2023, claiming 36 wickets across both competitions – more than any other bowler in regional cricket. She achieved the same feat in 2022 with 27 wickets.

Last summer, she was named as the Diamonds players’ player of the year.

“I feel in a good place,” she said. “My fitness has come along, I’m bowling nicely, and I’ve been given the luxury of a lot of batting time with reduced numbers in the East Stand. A lot of girls have been away.

“We have such a strong batting line-up that you don’t often get the opportunity down the order. But if I do, I want to contribute and really try and hold that tail-end together.”

This will be the second successive pre-season tour for the Diamonds, who last March travelled to Desert Springs in Spain for a week-long tour, playing matches against South East Stars and Sunrisers.

To be able to play regional opposition once more in Sparks is vital for preparations, says the Sheffield-born spinner.

“We want cricket which is representative of what we’ll face in the summer, so playing the Sparks will be an example of that,” she said.

“It will be a good indicator as to where we are ahead of the season.

“Last year, in Desert Springs – even though it was only a week, it helped us immeasurably.“We have a really good blend of youth and experience, and going on tour together really brought us together because it can be quite hard during a winter when girls are here, there and everywhere.

The tour precedes an April 20 kick-off, the Diamonds facing cross-Pennine rivals Thunder at Durham in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.