McGrath ready to put gains to the test in 'perfect' World Cup prep

While the majority of Australia’s likely World Cup squad are currently plying their trade in The Hundred, Tahlia McGrath believes a stint with Australia A in Brisbane this week will provide her with the perfect build-up to the ICC tournament.

Australia’s vice-captain is one of five CA-contracted players included in the 50-over squad to meet India A in three one-day games, alongside skipper Alyssa Healy, allrounder Tess Flintoff and quicks Darcie Brown and Kim Garth.

McGrath said she had opted against putting her name forward for this year’s edition of the ECB’s 100-ball tournament to extend her time on home soil this winter, with an eye on a daunting travel schedule across the next nine months.

Australia's first World Cup game is now 50 days away, and they will spend up to seven weeks in India, with a three-game ODI series to precede the eight-team World Cup. If they do make the final of that tournament, they will have just a four-day break before Weber WBBL|11 begins on November 9.

McGrath will likely be among the cohort to travel back to India in January for the Women’s Premier League, which will be followed by back-to-back multi-format series against India (home) and West Indies (away).

Around six weeks after the end of the Caribbean trip, Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign will begin in England.

"It's been a really nice winter," McGrath told cricket.com.au.

"It's the longest time off I've had in a number of years, so it was nice to go tools down for a bit, get a proper reset, proper refresh.

"It's been a really nice build-in to work on some things, to spend some time in Brissy with the girls with some camps, and then finish off the preseason with some Aus A games, which is in my eyes the perfect prep leading into a World Cup.

"(I'm) still at home, I get to trial a few things, and it's in the fifty-over format as well."

Australia’s long winter layoff – their last series was a three-game T20I tour of New Zealand in March – not only gave McGrath valuable time at home in Adelaide, it also provided her with a chance to focus on her new role in Australia’s ODI batting line-up.

Having mostly batted at No.5 since her 2021 ODI recall, McGrath slid down to No.7 at the start of the 2024-25 home summer, as Annabel Sutherland and Ashleigh Gardner shuffled up ahead of her.

McGrath said she had embraced the versatility required in her new role, which could see her – ideally – putting the finishing touches on a hefty total, such as when she struck a rapid 20no from 12 balls to carry Australia to a record total of 8-371 against India last December.

Or, she could be called upon for a rescue job – as seen when her 45-ball 55 in the third Ashes ODI in Hobart in January carried Australia from a wobbly 5-154 to a match-winning 8-308.  

"I'm trying to be really deliberate in how I start my innings, and trying to pick the gaps a bit better, rather than just smoke my cover drives," McGrath said.

"Try and be a bit more deliberate in getting off the mark and show a bit more intent with my scoring shots ... so it's been good to work on that and drill down on that and hopefully now see a bit of progress in the middle.

"I locked myself into number seven at the back end of last year and enjoyed that role where I could come in and tee off ... most times I came in and we already had a really good score on the board, so I could just continue that momentum and help feed the strike to the batter at the other end, who was often flying.

"I really enjoyed that role, and I'm looking to further propel how I approach that role."

McGrath has fond memories of the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand, which came as the allrounder was establishing herself as a core member of Australia’s XI following her international recall.

This time, the 29-year-old will head to India as Australia’s vice-captain, as she and captain Healy look to follow in the steps of past Australian World Cup-winning leadership pairs including Meg Lanning and Rachael Haynes, Jodie Fields and Alex Blackwell, and Belinda Clark and Karen Rolton.

"That (2022 tournament) was my favourite World Cup I've been a part of," she said.

"The extended time, playing every team, it's a proper challenge.

"So the fact that now I'm in a leadership role and I've evolved my game a little bit in that way, I'm really excited to play my part (in India) and hopefully be lifting another World Cup trophy the end of it."

Australia A v India A multi-format series

First T20: Australia A won by 13 runs

 

Second T20: Australia A won by 114 runs

 

Third T20: Australia A won by four runs

Australia A 50-Over squad: Tahlia McGrath (c), Nicole Faltum (vc), Darcie Brown, Lauren Cheatle, Amy Edgar, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth, Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Ella Hayward, Alyssa Healy, Anika Learoyd, Rachel Trenaman, Tahlia Wilson

India A 50-over squad:Radha Yadav (c), Minnu Mani (vc), Shafali Verma, Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Tanushree Sarkar, Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Nandini Kashyap (WK), Dhara Gujjar, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor, Titas Sadhu, Prema Rawat, Yastika Bhatia

First one-dayer: August 13, Northern Suburbs Cricket Club, Brisbane, 9.30am AEST

 

Second one-dayer: August 15, Northern Suburbs Cricket Club, Brisbane, 9.30am AEST

 

Third one-dayer: August 17, Northern Suburbs Cricket Club, Brisbane, 9.30am AEST

Australia A four-day squad: Tahlia Wilson (c), Nicole Faltum (vc), Lauren Cheatle, Maddy Darke, Amy Edgar, Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Ella Hayward, Anika Learoyd, Maitlan Brown, Lilly Mills, Georgia Prestwidge, Rachel Trenaman, Courtney Webb

India A four-day squad: Radha Yadav (c), Minnu Mani (vc), Shafali Verma, Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Tanushree Sarkar, Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Nandini Kashyap (wk), Dhara Gujjar, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor, Titas Sadhu, Prema Rawat

Only four-day match: August 21-24, Allan Border Field, Brisbane, 9:30am AEST

All matches will be streamed live on cricket.com.au and Kayo Sports.