Dubai, Oct 1 (IANS) Australia all-rounder Sophie Molineux is a little bit nervous about the Women’s T20 World Cup in UAE following her return to the national team earlier this year.
The two-time World Cup winner spent over two years out of the team due to serious foot and knee injuries between 2021 and 2024. She missed the 2022 ODI World Cup, 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2023 T20 World Cup for Australia. As the tournament begins on October 3, the all-rounder is ready to play any role for her side.
“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,” cricket.com.au quoted Molineux as saying. “But that’s cool, and it’s a T20 World Cup and there’s so much could happen in that space,” she added.
The 26-year-old returned to the Australian team against South Africa earlier this year and has not looked back. She bagged the Player of the Series award against Bangladesh in the T20I series in March. However, a rib injury interrupted her World Cup preparations but she returned to take on key overs in the powerplay and at the death in the recent T20I series against New Zealand.
“I enjoy any role in this team, to be honest. (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,” she said.
“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,” Molineux added.
Australia are one of the 10 teams that haven’t played in UAE before the Women’s T20 World Cup and they have no idea about the conditions. Molineux is prepared for whatever comes in front of her.
“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,” the allrounder added.
Australia will take on Sri Lanka in their opening encounter of the tournament in Group A at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on October 5.
–IANS
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