'Nice to be back': Molineux's ODI display worth the wait

It was 910 days between one-day internationals for Sophie Molineux, but the Australian spinner did not skip a beat on her long-awaited return, turning out a player-of-the-match performance in the second Bangladesh ODI.

Before Sunday’s game, Molineux had played just nine one-dayers since her debut in 2018, thanks to a combination of long-term injuries and the presence of left-arm spin star Jess Jonassen in the national side. 

But the Victorian had an enviable record from that small sample size of opportunity; in nine games she had taken 17 wickets at an average of 13 with an economy rate just above three. 

The 26-year-old could not have asked for better conditions to make her return than the spin-friendly decks of Dhaka, and on a day dominated by spinners, Molineux was the pick of the bunch to finish with 3-10 in a 10-over spell that included a remarkable 53 dot balls. 

"It's just nice to be back, to be honest," Molineux told reporters following Australia’s six-wicket win. 

"Being back on tour and to get a game is really cool.  

"I think that all bowlers performed really well today, especially the spinners and then to get over the line, it's a good day for us. 

"We just wanted to keep asking questions of the Bangladesh girls ... we know that they've got really solid defence and put a price on their wicket so we knew it was going to be hard to take all 10 wickets today, and we'd have to stay pretty patient.  

"The spinners were able to adjust and use their variations which is nice as well." 

Molineux had kept her expectations in check when she made her return from a ruptured ACL for Victoria midway through the summer. 

She had been a staple in Australia’s squads since her debut, if not always in the XI, but during her back-to-back serious foot and knee injuries, she had lost her national contract while others with major injuries had kept theirs. 

But Molineux had remained firmly on the selectors’ radar, and was a surprise recall for the one-off Test against South Africa in Perth last month, before her white-ball return was confirmed when the Bangladesh touring party was announced. 

"I think so," Molineux said when asked if days like Sunday made the long months of rehabilitation worthwhile.  

"It was a long two years, I learned a lot over those two years.  

"And I'm just happy to be playing cricket. I'm happy to be playing in any colours at the moment and even better to get a game for Australia again.  

"I've got a lot of close mates here and I can see that this group of players is really building something special, so to be a part of it, and to hopefully keep contributing, it's pretty cool." 

Australia now hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ODI series, but their remaining one-dayer and the three T20Is follow will provide an invaluable opportunity to familiarise themselves with the local conditions before the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh later this year. 

"It's just going to help out both our batting and bowling unit," Molineux said.  

"I think each game we're playing in different conditions we're learning and that's how we're going to make us a better team.  

"So even if it's not a copy-and-paste pitch to what we're going to get at the World Cup in a few months’ time, I think just being able to go through these different matches and being able to adjust, communicate and then learn from it (is valuable)." 

CommBank Tour of Bangladesh

First ODI: Australia won by 118 runs

Second ODI: Australia won by six wickets

March 27: Third ODI, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (2:30pm AEDT)

March 31: First T20I, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (5:00pm AEDT)

April 2: Second T20I, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (5:00pm AEDT)

April 4: Third T20I, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (5:00pm AEDT)

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck

Bangladesh squad: Nigar Sultana (c), Nahida Akter (vc), Fargana Hoque, Murshida Khatun, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Sultana Khatun, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Disha Biswas, Sumaiya Akter, Nishita Akter Nishi, Farzana Akter, Rabeya Khan