Sophie Molineux is back in Australian colours this week, though exactly how much she bowls – if at all – remains an open question with a T20 World Cup fast approaching.
The new skipper, 28, has been cleared for all three T20Is against West Indies in St Vincent after a lower-back niggle. Selectors will then re-assess her for the three ODIs that follow in St Kitts. Australia are prepared to pick her as a specialist batter if necessary, mindful of both her lengthy injury history and the global tournament only three months away.
“It’s probably a see how we go,” Molineux said. “Especially towards the back end with the one-dayers. We’ll just keep assessing. I am looking forward to being back out there with the girls.”
The left-armer admitted sitting out the recent home Test against India, Alyssa Healy’s farewell, was difficult. “It was hard to watch that Test, especially not being part of Midge [Healy]’s last game for Australia. It will be great to get back out there again.”
Since debuting in 2018, Molineux has delivered at least one over in every international she has played, but Australia see her presence – bat, ball or simply leadership – as vital while the post-Healy era beds in.
“It’s an important series for all of us,” she noted. “We haven’t got a whole lot of games before that T20 World Cup. Each game we have together is really important and make sure we are building towards that.
“To be able to get my feet under the desk and lead the group, I am really looking forward to the opportunity.”
Should her back complain, vice-captains Tahlia McGrath and Ashleigh Gardner stand ready to share leadership duties. Warm-ups against South Africa in England will offer further chances to settle roles before the ICC event.
Recent form is mixed. Australia were knocked out at the semi-final stage of the last two white-ball World Cups and lost last month’s home T20 series 2-1 to India. Even so, there is confidence the gap to the front-runners is not huge.
“It’s very hard in T20 cricket to play the perfect game,” Molineux said. “It’s just being better for longer and realising those moments that can go either way and winning those. It’s just backing our [attacking] style of play and being conscious of that.”
The West Indies, by contrast, arrive from a chastening tour of Sri Lanka where they were skittled for 49 in a rain-ruined opener and mustered only 101 and 119 for 5 in the completed matches. Captain Hayley Matthews, though, sees home conditions as a potential leveller.
“I think it’s going to be a good test of where we are as a team right now just a couple months before the World Cup does start,” she said.
“They’re quite a challenging team and the highest ranked in the world, but teams have had success against them. The good thing about T20 cricket is that it only takes one or tw”
The hosts will hope pitches at Arnos Vale Stadium offer a touch more pace than Colombo, while Australia will monitor workloads closely. A cautious approach now, they feel, could pay off come July when the medals are handed out.
