Comeback kid Molineux ready to tackle tough overs

30 Sep 2024 Laura Jolly, in Dubai

While not convinced she will be served a spinner's paradise in Sharjah, the allrounder is relishing a long-awaited World Cup return

Sophie Molineux is a two-time T20 World Cup winner, but the allrounder admits she is feeling some nerves for the upcoming tournament in the United Arab Emirates following her return to the national side earlier this year.

The last time Molineux played a World Cup game, it ended with her dancing on stage with Katy Perry at the MCG in 2020.

Katy Perry and Molineux on stage after the T20 World Cup final in 2020 // Getty

Since then, serious foot and knee injuries have seen the Victorian spend more than 850 days out of the national side between 2021 and 2024, during which she missed the 2022 ODI World Cup, 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2023 T20 World Cup.

"I haven't been around for a few years in terms of World Cups so there is a little bit of nervousness that I'm feeling at the moment," Molineux said in Dubai this week.

"But that's cool, and it's a T20 World Cup and there's so much could happen in that space."

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Molineux stormed back into the Australian side against South Africa earlier this year and has not looked back.

The 26-year-old was player of the T20I series against Bangladesh in March, and while a rib injury interrupted her World Cup preparations, she returned to take on key overs in the Powerplay and at the death in the recent T20I series against New Zealand.

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"I enjoy any role in this team, to be honest," she said.

"(Power play and death overs) are pretty important ones, and 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.

"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."

In her first taste of UAE conditions in Sunday’s warm-up against England, Molineux struck early to remove opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge then returned when Alice Capsey was getting on a roll, dismissing the hard-hitting No.3 for 40.

While conditions in this World Cup, particularly in Sharjah – where Australia will play three of their four group games – have been tipped to favour spinners, Molineux said she was preparing for anything.

Like many of the 10 teams competing in this tournament, Australia have never played an international game in the UAE, and they will not train at either of the two venues in Sharjah and Dubai prior to playing at them.

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"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 laughed.

"But I think all of us are pretty prepared for anything that gets thrown at us.

"Looking at some footage over here, sometimes it rags, and other times it's pretty skiddy and batter friendly as well.

"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."

2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup

Comeback kid Molineux ready to tackle tough overs

2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup

Warm-up matches

Australia's Group A fixtures

Finals