Sophie Molineux will live out a dream when she leads her team out at Lord’s in a T20 World Cup final. However, the job is not yet done for Australia’s skipper.
As Molineux addressed the media at Lord’s on Saturday, she was asked if she was personally satisfied with having led her team to a T20 World Cup final in her first campaign as captain. Her response was a simple, “not yet.” First, her team needs to topple hosts England and lift the trophy for a seventh time.
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After talking up a “no ceilings” approach to their T20 cricket across the past few years since their most recent title win in early 2023, this is the tournament where Australia have fully walked the walk.
Freedom and bravery are the mantras that have underpinned their journey to Sunday’s final, where they have scored at a faster rate than any previous campaign—by a significant margin—while also boasting the most miserly bowling attack.
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“I think it’s been an incredible tournament so far for this group,” Molineux told reporters at Lord’s on Saturday. “Whatever happens tomorrow happens, we’re going to walk away really proud of the type of cricket we’ve played over the last few weeks.”
“The girls have played with freedom, they’ve been brave, and I think we’ve played in a really amazing team game of cricket. We can take so many positives away from this tournament. I think if we win tomorrow, there might be a chance to be able to sit back and reflect, but we’ve still got a job to do – playing our best game of cricket.” — Sophie Molineux, Australia Captain
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Australia have scored at 9.52 runs per over through their undefeated run to the tournament final, eclipsing their previous best of 7.68 at the 2023 World Cup. With a batting order that at times features Molineux—a top-order batter for the Melbourne Renegades—as low as No. 9, Australia are finally maximising their depth. They are playing a relentless, attacking brand that has not allowed opposition bowling attacks to dictate terms for any length of time.
That’s where the freedom comes in.
“You see the batting depth in our squad, and T20 cricket is a chance to showcase your skill and really show off with the bat,” Australia vice-captain Tahlia McGrath told cricket.com.au. “Any stalls in momentum, we have that freedom to go out there and play your shots from ball one… and just try to keep the momentum going as much as possible, and really showcase those shots and play to your strengths.”
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Bravery is Australia’s brand with the ball, McGrath explained. Whether that comes through in bowling changes, setting fields, or variations, each of the Australian bowlers have identified what their version of ‘brave’ is, with the group making a conscious effort to celebrate those moments.
“It’s been awesome to see it click this tournament,” McGrath continued. “It’s been in the works for a while, and it looks slightly different for every player. It might feel uncomfortable, you might feel underprepared, but knowing it’s the best option, and putting the emphasis on executing rather than [worrying about] what the opposition player is going to do.”
Examples of this bravery have already popped up throughout the tournament:
- Tactical boldness: Coming on and bowling a bouncer first ball, or throwing a slip in for certain bowlers.
- Skill execution: Lucy Hamilton hadn’t completely mastered a back-of-the-hand slower ball, yet she bowled it at this tournament with excellent execution.