Australia’s last warm-up before the Women’s ODI World Cup ended in a four-wicket loss to England, yet head coach Shelley Nitschke sounded calm rather than rattled. The defending champions mixed and matched their line-up in Bengaluru, looking at combinations rather than the scoreline, and still reached 127 for 2 inside 16 overs before things tailed off.
The headline from that match was Sophie Molineux’s first outing since last December. The left-arm spinner, back from knee surgery, bowled ten tidy overs for 1 for 37 and chipped in with 5 from 10 balls. Her mere presence, Nitschke stressed, changes the balance of the squad.
“Just to see her out there was fantastic,” Nitschke said. “It’s been close on 12 months, but just to have her out there bowling again, that’s a really good thing for us and our squad.”
A fit Molineux would normally walk straight into the XI, as captain Alyssa Healy hinted before the tour. If that happens on Wednesday against New Zealand in Indore, one of the leg-spinners – Georgia Wareham or Alana King – is likely to sit out. Nitschke admitted those calls would not be easy. “I guess we’ll sit down in the next couple of days and assess everything and see how we line up. I think we’re going to be faced with some pretty tough calls throughout the whole tournament… we’ve got some decisions to make for sure.”
There is also the small matter of the pace attack. Darcie Brown, back after a back spasm, returned 1 for 30 from six overs and looked sharper than the figures suggest. Even so, Megan Schutt’s new-ball craft and Kim Garth’s ability to swing it late still make them the likely first-choice pair. Brown offers genuine speed, which could yet become essential on slow World Cup pitches, so picking three quicks and two spinners remains on the table.
In the batting department the squeeze is just as real. Australia had repositioned Ashleigh Gardner at first drop, with in-form Phoebe Litchfield racing to 71 off 48 deliveries. Both fell to Sarah Glenn in the space of four balls, prompting a middle-order slide that left Nitschke more curious than concerned. Australia, she said, failed to read Glenn’s pace off the surface rather than abandoning their aggressive template. “Shot selection” was the key phrase.
Georgia Voll, averaging 63.50 from five ODIs, is suddenly the player under threat. The top order is crowded and selectors are tempted to keep an extra bowling option on Indore’s red-clay surface. Voll’s recent output argues for retention; the broader balance of the XI may argue otherwise.
All-rounder Heather Graham, called up when Grace Harris was ruled out, did not bat or bowl against England. She offers medium pace and lower-order muscle, but her spot hinges on whether Australia feel they already have enough seam options.
Nitschke believes the team have arrived at the tournament “battle-hardened”. Three full ODIs against India earlier this month were, in her words, “a hard-fought series in some tough bowling conditions and a real challenge. So I thought that was excellent prep.” That series was played on black-soil pitches; Bengaluru presented red clay. “Certainly have been exposed to some different conditions and learnt a lot and have to adapt to that,” she added.
England’s chase confirmed that 270-ish could be a par score on similar surfaces. Australia looked set for more before the Glenn double strike. The coach, though, sees positives in having to graft. “We’ve got a really good squad here. You know, everyone’s sort of at some point played really well,” she said, the emphasis falling on collective depth rather than individual stardom.
Selection meetings over the next 48 hours are likely to be frank. Molineux’s left-arm angle offers variety, yet dropping either King or Wareham removes a proven wicket-taker. Brown’s pace could blow away a top order, but that means leaving out a batter or risking a long tail. These are the nice problems every coach wants, provided the calls land correctly once the World Cup starts for real.
Australia face New Zealand on Wednesday, a fixture that usually brings its own edge even before the tournament context is added. A strong start would calm outside chatter about combinations; a wobble would magnify it. Either way, Nitschke’s tone suggested a side that backs its planning. The final XI, she noted, will be shaped by pitch reports as much as reputations.
“I’d like to think that now we’re in a good space,” she said. Wednesday should reveal exactly how good, and which proven performer has to watch from the dug-out when the title defence gets under way.
