The current World Cup holders will be bidding for a third consecutive title when the event, featuring 16 teams split into four pools, gets underway, and they are the strong favourites to take home their 11th gold medal since the tournament was first held in 1963.

They open up their campaign in the final match of the first day when they take on Trinidad and Tobago in Pool A and Layton warned they cannot afford to be complacent in any of their pool matches despite their favourites tag.

The other two teams in their group are Barbados and arch-rivals New Zealand, ranked number two in the world. 

"Trinidad and Tobago are such a physical team as well as Barbados, and you can't underestimate anyone," Layton said.

"If you underestimate any of the teams we're coming up against then they can trample on top of you.

"The gap between us and other countries is getting smaller, so we need to be our best for everyone.

"We love the targets on our backs.

"That's the only way we really want it to be."

The Australian Diamonds’ toughest challenge is likely to be posed by both New Zealand and England, with Jamaica, who beat England 2-1 in a three-test series in Kingston in January, also a potential threat.

The New Zealand team come into the tournament off the back of comfortable victories over Fiji and South Africa, two of the top 10 teams in the world, and they will be aiming for a first World Cup crown since 2003.

Jamaica and England will do battle once again as they have been drawn in Pool B alongside debutants Scotland and Samoa, currently ranked number 13 in the world.

England, third at the 2011 World Cup in Singapore but who missed out on a podium place at last year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, begin their pursuit of a maiden World Cup title against minnows Scotland, and captain Geva Mentor admitted they will be looking to make a statement when they start their campaign on Friday.

"I think it’s important for us to set the tone, not only for the other teams that are out there but for ourselves, to make sure we cement and really work on this campaign going forward," she said.

"There are obviously a lot of nerves, it’s a World Cup.

"It’s really important for us and everyone has got the belief."

Pool C includes world number five Malawi, Singapore, South Africa and Sri Lanka, with Fiji, Wales, Uganda and Zambia making up Pool D.

The event will see the top two teams in each pool progress to the last eight, where they will be split into two groups of four.

The teams who finish in the first two spots will then reach the semi-finals, with the gold and bronze medal matches scheduled for August 16.


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