Molineux brushes off nerves to relish return to green and gold

03 Oct 2025 Laura Jolly, in Colombo

Sophie Molineux is poised to play a major role with the ball at the ODI World Cup after proving why she was a walk-up start for the tournament opener

Before Australia's World Cup opener, Sophie Molineux had not played an official game of cricket, at international or domestic level, in 294 days.

To some outside the Australian camp, bringing the left-arm spinner straight back into the XI to face the White Ferns could have been seen as a risky move.

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But chief selector Shawn Flegler was firm in his belief prior to the squad's departure that Australia's best ODI XI included a fit Molineux, and that belief was immediately repaid in Indore on Wednesday.

Handed the new ball alongside Kim Garth – after Australia made the shock call to omit veteran pace bowler Megan Schutt – Molineux rapped Suzie Bates on the pads with the first ball she faced, narrowly missing getting the NZ opener out lbw, before she knocked her stumps over two deliveries later.

"Pre-game I was pretty nervous to be honest," Molineux said following Australia's 89-run win.

"(But it was) such a nice feeling, I feel like there was different points in the warm-up where I just stopped for a bit and reminded myself to enjoy it.

"You're so quick to just get wrapped up in it and forget about everything that's come (before) … I just love running around out there in the green and gold."

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Molineux walked away from her comeback match with 3-25 from her 8.1 overs, having sounded a warning to the tournament's batters.

Speaking after the game, captain Alyssa Healy said the decision to bowl the spinner in the Powerplay had been made with early wickets in mind.

"It's not exactly like-for-like," Healy said of swapping Schutt for Molineux. "But the fact that Sophie can come in and bowl in the Powerplay, it's what we've been searching for, Powerplay wickets – it's something we didn't really get in that India series.

"So we thought we'd mix that up and try and create wickets … Soph was awesome. Hopefully got through unscathed, and she can take a big part in this tournament."

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Three major injuries in the past four years have seriously curtailed Molineux's opportunities in the green and gold, where she has played just 14 ODIs since her debut in Malaysia in late 2018.

But her numbers in the format form that limited sample size are compelling, with 26 wickets at an average of 13.69 and economy rate of 3.27.

The Victorian's gradual build-up after knee surgery in January meant she was left sitting on the sidelines through last month's one-day series against India while her teammates enjoyed precious time in the middle in the lead-up to the ICC tournament.

But behind the scenes, Molineux was working hard to prove her readiness for a return. Alongside her usual bowling, batting and fielding training, she'd then don full batting kit as she tested her ability to run at full pelt between the wickets.

Given Molineux's torrid run of foot and knee injuries, which robbed her of the chance to play in the 2022 ODI World Cup, 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2023 T20 World Cup, Australia's medical staff are understandably continuing to carefully manage the allrounder's loads.

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It's something the 27-year-old said had been an adjustment when speaking to cricket.com.au last month, explaining she'd had to shift both her mental and physical preparation.

"I spent a bit of time wrapping my head around it and probably tapping into different parts of my game in preparation," Molineux said at the time.

"Traditionally, I'd bowl and bowl and bowl, and feel really confident and comfortable through bowling a heap of overs each week and playing games of cricket, (but) it's not the case now ... so I think I've been able to tap into some different things to prepare for a World Cup and to perform, hopefully, straight away."

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Speaking on SEN radio from Colombo on Friday, Molineux conceded that caution may extend to her being managed throughout the World Cup, where Australia's seven group games are played in the space of 25 days.

"I hate that term, load management, but it is very important," she said.

"I suppose there's going to be a bit of that along the way, not having played a game until a couple of days ago after 10 months, and the rigours of a 50-over tournament in India, there's probably going to be a little bit of that, but not just for me.

'I think we're going to play it quite smart – it's a five- or six-week tournament."

2025 Women's ODI World Cup

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham