3 weeks ago
A fresh Sophie Molineux will create a rotation action compression arsenic Australia hunt T20 World Cup redemption. The left-armer and caller skipper has afloat recovered from a little backmost rumor that interrupted her modulation into nan apical job.
In campy this week astatine Brisbane’s National Cricket Centre, nan broadside will play 5 warm-up games successful England and Wales earlier their T20 World Cup run originates against South Africa connected 13 June.
Molineux, who has succeeded nan retired Alyssa Healy, will beryllium a fastener successful nan broadside contempt Australia boasting world-class rotation trio Ashleigh Gardner, Alana King and Georgia Wareham.
King took a grounds 7-18 against South Africa successful past year’s 50-over World Cup, and was subordinate of nan bid aft collecting 23 wickets successful past year’s Ashes triumph.
Left retired of Australia’s T20 squad that toured India, King returned successful nan West Indies and took 5 wickets astatine an mean of 11, conceding conscionable 5.5 runs an complete while bowling successful nan powerplay.
Chief selector Shawn Flegler said each 4 spinners could play successful nan aforesaid side, but that Molineux’s position wasn’t successful question.
“She’s our skipper and she’s going to play ... left-arm orthodox, it’s highly weighted successful nan women’s game,” he said. “Georgia’s been a number 1 legspinner. Alana’s travel successful and done really well.
“But I deliberation nan pecking bid is beautiful clear. We’ve sewage Ash, Soph and Georgia, and past if conditions allowed, past Alana comes into it arsenic well.”
Molineux, who led a team-building fireside chat connected Sunday connected a spot extracurricular of Brisbane to group nan tone, said location were nary restrictions connected her bowling.
She will skipper successful a World Cup for nan first time, pinch nan champion broadside licking immoderate wounds aft semi-final exits successful nan astir caller 50-over and 20-over events.
“We’ve sewage truthful overmuch accomplishment and experience, we’ve sewage immoderate caller energy,” Molineux said. “Being capable to bring it each together and being capable to execute successful those those large moments wherever we’ve been connected nan different broadside of successful nan past mates of World Cups, that’s what’s really driving this group.”
Left-arm speedy Lucy Hamilton, 20, was besides included successful nan 15-player squad connected Wednesday, pinch Darcie Brown nan astonishment omission successful a squad stacked pinch right-arm gait options.
“She was evidently disappointed,” Flegler said of Brown. “We’ve been trying to get Darc up complete nan past mates of years to beryllium a front-line bowler and vessel successful that powerplay and she conscionable hasn’t rather nailed that opportunity, but we still deliberation she’s going to person a awesome profession for Australia arsenic well.
“She’s still a young accelerated bowler, this is surely not nan end, and she whitethorn good get called up during nan World Cup anyway.”
Bundaberg merchandise Hamilton debuted successful each 3 formats for Australia successful March. While nan men’s programme has been blessed pinch left-arm accelerated bowling talent, it’s a accomplishment seldom seen successful nan women’s game.
“She gets immoderate bully bounce, bowls a really dense ball; it’s a existent constituent of difference, particularly for our attack,” coach Shelley Nitschke said, struggling to sanction different she had played pinch aliases coached complete nan past 20 years. “There’s not a batch of them around.”
Allrounder Nicola Carey will play successful her first T20 World Cup since 2020, pursuing a aureate summertime that saw her return to nan nationalist broadside aft a three-year absence.
Heat allrounder Grace Harris returns to nan broadside aft being near retired of nan caller West Indies tour.
Nitschke said nan big-hitter’s versatility, imaginable to harm attacks and proven shape successful England led to her recall.
Annabel Sutherland is backmost aft missing nan caller circuit of nan West Indies, while Elysse Perry will characteristic successful her 10th T20 World Cup, having been portion of each version since nan inaugural tourney successful 2009.
New Zealand are nan defending T20 world champions.
Australia will play 3 warm-up matches astatine Arundel Castle against South Africa, starting connected May 31, earlier a brace of believe games against England successful Cardiff.
Australia squad: Sophie Molineux (captain), Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham. Travelling reserve: Tahlia Wilson.
