Women’s Cricket Championship: How Molineux Silenced the Doubters to Secure Ultimate Victory
Sophie Molineux admitted to a few nervous moments early in her captaincy career as she reflects on helping Australia to a seventh T20 World Cup title.
It was always going to be a tough act to replace Alyssa Healy as Australia’s captain, but Sophie Molineux showed why selectors got the decision right as she helped lead the Aussies to an unprecedented seventh ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title at Lord’s on Sunday.
Molineux took over from Healy as captain in all three formats at the start of this year just months after Australia were bundled out of the most recent ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in the semi-finals by India and with no ICC trophy in their usually bulging cabinet.
While some may have questioned the reasoning as to why Molineux was appointed, the decision was vindicated at the first major test when Australia defeated England by seven wickets at the T20 World Cup final at Lord’s on Sunday to complete a superb unbeaten run in the tournament.
It was just rewards for Molineux, who has battled injury issues for much of her career and only found continuity in her body at this tournament as she finished the T20 World Cup as the Aussies’ leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps across the winning run of seven matches.
Molineux reflected on her journey at the post-match media conference and the confident 28-year-old admitted the first few months of her captaincy reign had been difficult to deal with as doubts existed both internally and externally.
“It’s been the most amazing day. To have walked away with a World Cup under our arms in front of nearly 30,000 here at the Lords, it was an incredibly special day,” Molineux said.
“I think when I took over (the captaincy), I was a bit messy at the start, to be fair. Captaining a couple of games and getting injured, shock.
“I suppose there were a few doubts internally and a few doubts externally. But I think what maybe I’ve learnt over my journey so far is that you just have to keep believing.
“I’m incredibly lucky that people believed in me, and I suppose I believe in this team and this group more than anything as well. It’s really satisfying.
“When I did miss those games at the start of the summer after just being announced captain, it probably made me feel like it might not work out.
“But I just think I’m so incredibly lucky with the support I’ve had over the last, not only just the last six months, but it’s been 10 years in this team for Australia.”
Having led Australia to the T20 World Cup title at her first attempt, Molineux has now set her sights on winning more major trophies and will get the chance next year when Sri Lanka hosts the ICC Champions Trophy tournament at the start of the year.
There is also the next edition of the T20 World Cup to look forward to in Pakistan in 2028 and Molineux admitted she wants to improve further and help the side to more success.
“Look, we’re always — we’re in the business of trying to get better,” she said.
“We definitely will celebrate this and it rolls on pretty quick after this.
“And we don’t think we’ve reached any ceilings yet as this team has got generational talent from young girls like Lucy Hamilton right to the end of the spectrum with Ellyse Perry and Beth Mooney.
“I think we’re in this really beautiful spot where it’s shared and everyone wants to play for each other and committing fully to how we want to play. So yeah, long may that live.”
