'No More Gaps': Harris ready to expand into opening berth

Likening herself to a household gap-filler found on the shelf at a hardware store, Grace Harris is ready to plug whatever holes Australia needs her to in the team’s bid for a fourth consecutive title.

The Queenslander arrived in Dubai under an injury cloud after a calf complaint kept her out of last month’s T20I series against New Zealand.

After returning to full fitness, Harris got the call-up for Australia’s second group game, coming into the middle-order against the White Ferns – only to be bowled for a golden duck.

She was then left out of the XI that played Pakistan, but after Alyssa Healy was forced to retire hurt during that match, Harris got an ominous text from coach Shelley Nitschke.

"Shelley has these ‘open door’ sessions that are optional, and often they're just simply for players to go and have a chat with her, it’s nothing formal or anything," Harris explained in Dubai on Tuesday.

"She sent me a message (the day before the India game) and said, 'Grace, would you have time to swing by?’

"And I must admit, my heart rate went up a little bit higher in my hotel room, but she sat me down, and she just said, ‘Listen, remember, in Bangladesh, you opened the batting ... I'm thinking the time's come, you're going to open the batting (against India).

"So I just tried to not be nervous, and the girls in the squad as a whole are very helpful and supportive with that."

Healy remains under an injury cloud ahead of Thursday’s semi-final against South Africa (1am Friday AEDT), and there is every chance Harris will open once again in that eliminator – and if Australia are successful, in a World Cup final two days after that.

Some players would be daunted, but Harris is ready to grab any chance she can get in the Australian XI.

It was a scenario trialled by Australia during their T20 tour of Bangladesh in March, when they opened with Harris and Phoebe Litchfield rather than regulars Healy and Beth Mooney.

"I'm taking my career inspiration at the moment from 'Selleys No More Gaps', (I’m) multi-purpose," Harris laughed, referring to the expandable liquid solution.

"I'm just trying to plug holes wherever I can this team, and I know that we speak often about role clarity meetings, and I'm just so thankful that Shell gave me a bit of a crack in Bangladesh before actually coming to a World Cup.

"I've always wanted to be a more versatile player, and never wanted just to be pigeonholed as an athlete, and tried to make the most of any opportunities that I can get.

"At the moment, I just feel pretty grateful that the selectors had the faith in me to actually open with me, because we've got a couple of people that they could have turned to, and I could have just resumed my role in middle order.

"I'm trying to stay very present and just in the moment and enjoying it as well as I can ... (but) when I look back, it will be pretty good to go 'I got to open the batting in a World Cup'."

Healy and Mooney are the most successful partnership in the history of women’s T20Is, having hit 2720 runs in 84 innings opening the batting together.

If Australia’s captain does not return for the semi-final, she will again leave big shoes to fill at the top of the order.

Harris hit a run-a-ball 40 in Sunday’s narrow win over India opening the batting alongside Mooney, and the 31-year-old said it had been a comfort to return to what had at one point been a familiar partnership, given the duo opened together for years at Brisbane Heat before Mooney moved to Perth Scorchers in 2020.

"She's such a tactical player, very smart, and has been a very good player for Australia for a long period of time," Harris said of Mooney.

"So it does ease your nerves a little bit ... to know how strong and composed our squad is, and that if I fail, somebody else is going to stand up, and that's how we've always played the game.

"I just thought about trying to stay true to our style of play, and I guess the selectors have picked me for a reason.

"I know that there's a lot of women and a lot of players back home that would love the opportunity that I've been given, so I tried to lean into that mind frame."

Away from cricket, Harris said she had remained balanced throughout this World Cup by being a ‘good tourist’ and keeping her mind occupied with various hobbies.

Although, given the lack of progress she has made on the 1000-piece puzzle currently occupying a fair chunk of real estate on her hotel room floor, she will have even more motivation to make sure Australia stay in the tournament through to Sunday’s final.

"I've been doing some jigsaw puzzles ... I have found the edges, so I'm thankful for that," she said.

"I've done a ‘paint by numbers’. And outside of that, I've just been getting out and about around Dubai, went go karting and did some stuff around the mall, but I’m just trying to stay relaxed and be a good tourist."

2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup

Australia's Group A fixtures

October 5: beat Sri Lanka by six wickets

October 8: beat New Zealand by 60 runs

October 11: beat Pakistan by nine wickets

October 13: beat India by nine runs

Finals

October 17: Semi-final 1: Australia v South Africa, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 18 AEDT

October 18: Semi-final 2: West Indies v New Zealand, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 19 AEDT

October 20: Final, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 21 AEDT

For the full list of fixtures click here. All matches live and exclusive on Prime Video. Sign up here for a 30-day free trial