Sophie Molineux will miss next month’s ODI series against Bangladesh with a hip injury, but Australia are hopeful she will recover in time for the following T20I series against New Zealand.
The Australia captain was named in a 13-player ODI squad revealed by Cricket Australia on Wednesday morning, but speaking to reporters following that release, national selector Shawn Flegler revealed the extent of Molineux’s setback, and confirmed deputy Tahlia McGrath would lead her country against the Tigers in Brisbane.
“She suffered a hip injury when she got back from The Hundred … it seemed a fairly innocuous hip injury initially, just unfortunately it didn’t progress as quickly as we thought it would up until the weekend,” Flegler said.
“She’s now turned a corner but I think it’s too tight for the ODI series … but she’ll be right for the T20 games (and) we’ll keep assessing her during that particular series.”
If Molineux does not get up for the three T20Is against the White Ferns, starting in Sydney on October 18, co-vice-captain Ashleigh Gardner will lead her country for the first time.
McGrath also led Australia in their most recent one-day series against the West Indies in April when Molineux was sidelined with a back injury.
McGrath was then left on the bench throughout the T20 World Cup in England, the sole member of the 15-player squad unable to break into the XI during the tournament.
But the allrounder showed promising signs in South Australia’s opening game of the WNCL season on Tuesday, blasting 154 from 137 deliveries against Victoria, while also capturing two wickets.
“It was really great that she scored a brilliant hundred yesterday and took a couple of wickets, so she should go into that series with a lot of confidence,” Flegler said of McGrath.
“We’ve got Ash and T-Mac as (co-)vice captains and it’s been endorsed by the board for either one of them to step up into the role.
“Tahlia’s done a really great job in the past, and if Ash gets that opportunity (in the T20s), I’m sure she’ll do a great job as well.
“Soph will be on tour with us anyway, so I can see that leadership group performing really well, they function really well as a as a group.”
Given Australia have just 12 fit players in their one-day squad – quicks Lucy Hamilton (quad) and Darcie Brown (back) were also unavailable due to injury – Flegler said reinforcements would be added once the current round of the Women’s National Cricket League is completed.
Hamilton has been named in the T20I squad after suffering a minor quad strain at Queensland training earlier this month, but Brown is set for a longer stint on the sidelines.
The 23-year-old was diagnosed with a disc injury following her return from the Australia A tour of India, where she played two T20s and a one-dayer, and could miss up to 10 weeks – which would rule the Strikers spearhead out of most, if not all, of Weber WBBL|12.
“It just hasn’t progressed,” Flegler said. “We’re going to have to shut her down for a few weeks initially, just offload her from bowling and running in particular, and then it’ll be a reload period after that … so worst case scenario, it’s actually 10 weeks, but we’re hopeful that it improves quicker than that.”
Flegler confirmed Australia were hopeful Brown could be in contention for the inaugural T20 Champions Trophy in India in February, with several spots in that squad potentially up for grabs.
The three T20Is against the White Ferns will be Australia’s only games in the format prior to that tournament, with Flegler saying their dominant World Cup run in England earlier this would put them in good stead.
“I think we’re a pretty settled team, to be honest,” he said.
“After the World Cup, everyone knows their roles pretty well (but) there’s still a couple of spots that will be up for grabs leading in into that, and obviously there’s a Women’ Premier League that leads into it, the WBBL as well, so anyone who performs really strongly is going to certainly put their hand up.
“We’ve had a few Aussie A games over here against India A in T20s, and Tayla Vlaeminck bowled really well in a couple of those games so it was great to see her back as well.
“Anika Learoyd played really well, Charli Knott has played well in some of the games – there’ll be players certainly pushing for selection.”
NRMA Insurance Women’s ODI Series v Bangladesh
Australia ODI squad: Tahlia McGrath (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
First ODI: Friday, October 9 (D/N)
Second ODI: Sunday, October 11 (D/N)
Third ODI: Wednesday, October 14 (D/N)
* All matches played at Allan Border Field, Brisbane, starting at 1:50pm local
NRMA Insurance Women’s T20 Series v New Zealand
Australia T20I squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
First T20I: Sunday, October 18
Second T20I: Tuesday, October 20
Third T20I: Thursday, October 22
* All matches played at North Sydney Oval starting at 7:15pm AEDT
All women’s international matches will be shown live on Seven, 7Plus, Kayo Sports and Foxtel
