Qatar: After rejoining the Australian side earlier this year, all-rounder Sophie Molineux admits she is a little anxious about the Women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Between 2021 and 2024, the two-time World Cup champion missed more than two years of action because of severe injuries to his knee and feet. She was absent from Australia’s 2023 T20 World Cup, 2022 Commonwealth Games, and 2022 ODI World Cup. The all-around player is prepared to take on any position for her team when the competition gets underway on October 3.
Molineux was reported by cricket.com.au as stating, “There is a little bit of nervousness that I’m feeling at the moment. I haven’t been around for a few years in terms of World Cups.” “But that’s cool, and it’s a T20 World Cup and there’s so much that could happen in that space,” she said.
Earlier this year, against South Africa, the 26-year-old made his comeback to the Australian squad, and he hasn’t looked back. In the T20I series in March, she won Player of the Series against Bangladesh. She was forced to miss the World Cup due to a rib injury, but she later made a comeback to play crucial overs during the powerplay and in the closing stages of the T20I series against New Zealand.
“To be honest, I like playing any position on this squad. “I think as a bowler in those situations, you’re not always going to get it right, and a big part of that is to be able to bounce back from the times where it gets a bit tricky,” the bowler said. “Power play and death overs are pretty important ones.”
“There’s definitely a lot to be learned from the series against the Kiwis and I’m very much looking forward to the challenge of bowling those overs if it arises again,” Molineux said.
Ten nations, including Australia, have never played in the United Arab Emirates prior to the Women’s T20 World Cup; therefore, they are unfamiliar with the playing conditions. Molineux is ready for anything that may come her way.
“You can never buy into that; sometimes they say it’s going to be spin-friendly and you get a flat, skiddy track that doesn’t,” Molineux chuckled.
But I believe we’re all ready for most things that come our way. Observing some video over here, it rips at moments and is also rather skiddy and batter-friendly at other times.
“T20 cricket’s also pretty unpredictable as well so if we stay as calm as possible, which we are, I think that’s probably going to put us in the best stead to be able to get take it deep,” the all-rounder said. On October 5, Australia and Sri Lanka will play in the tournament’s first Group A match at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
