Molineux named new Australia captain as India squad revealed

Sophie Molineux will usher in a new era for the Australian women's team after being named Alyssa Healy's successor as national captain across all three formats.

The 28-year-old spin-bowling allrounder will officially take the reins of the T20I side when Australia hosts India in an all-format series next month, before assuming the ODI and Test captaincies for Australia's tour of the Caribbean in March.

Current deputy Tahlia McGrath will remain in her position, joined by allrounder Ashleigh Gardner who has been promoted to co-vice-captain.

Australia have also named their T20I, ODI and Test squads to play India, with Nicola Carey making her return to the international fold in the white-ball formats, while 19-year-old quick Lucy Hamilton could make her Test debut after being named in a national squad for the first time.

Australia T20I squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

 

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

 

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

In good news for Australia, Phoebe Litchfield has been named in all three squads despite being yesterday ruled out of the remainder of the Women's Premier League season with a quad injury.

Selectors have also made tough calls on the white-ball squads, leaving leg-spinner Alana King out of the T20I side, and recent World Cup squad members Megan Schutt, Grace Harris and Heather Graham out of the ODI team.

Many had tipped either McGrath, who had filled in for Healy in 15 matches in recent years, or Gardner, who had stepped up as deputy to McGrath on occasion, as the frontrunners to replace Healy, who will lead Australia in the upcoming one-dayers and Test before hanging up the gloves for good.

But Molineux has leapfrogged the pair and will officially become Australia's ninth T20I captain when the opening match is played at the SCG on February 15.

"It's a real honour to be named Australian captain and something I'm incredibly proud of, especially following on from Alyssa, who’s had such a huge impact on this team and the game," Molineux said in a statement.

"We've got a really strong group with plenty of natural leaders, alongside a lot of exciting talent coming through, and I'm really looking forward to working together as we keep evolving and pushing ourselves to the next level, while staying true to the identity that makes this team so special."

The allrounder, who hails from the country town of Bairnsdale in far eastern Victoria, has played just 58 matches for Australia since her debut aged 20 in 2018 thanks to a run of serious shoulder, knee and foot injuries that have interrupted her career.

She returned from a knee injury to feature in Australia's ODI World Cup squad last October, but played just four out of seven matches as her workloads were carefully managed.

When fit, she is considered a walk-up start to the Australian squad, and while she has not held an official leadership position in the national side, she has long been considered one of the country's strongest leaders.

Molineux became the then-youngest WBBL captain when she was appointed Melbourne Renegades skipper aged 23 in 2021 and she took over from Meg Lanning as Victoria captain a year later.

To help her prepare for those roles, she was mentored by Australia legend Belinda Clark, and Molineux's leadership was one of the key drivers behind the Renegades' rise from the bottom of the table to first-time champions in 2024.

National selector Shawn Flegler on Thursday praised Molineux's leadership qualities, while also acknowledging her history of injury setbacks, suggesting Australia would continue to take a cautious approach to her workloads.

"Sophie is highly respected within Australian cricket, and her resilience, composure and proven domestic leadership makes her the right person to lead the team into a new era," Flegler said in a statement.

"We will continue to manage Sophie’s workload, prioritising key tournaments and major international series following injury challenges in recent seasons.

"Tahlia McGrath remains vice-captain, recognising her significant leadership contribution under Alyssa Healy … Ash Gardner has been elevated to vice-captain alongside Tahlia, strengthening the team’s leadership group.

"Ash and Tahlia provide complimentary skills in support of Sophie and are also both capable of leading the team as stand-in captain if required." 

Molineux is one of two inclusions to Australia's T20I squad, who have not played since their tour of New Zealand last March, alongside Carey who has earned her first call-up to an Australian side since she turned down a national contract in 2023.

Molineux missed that trip to New Zealand due to her troublesome knee but was Australia's most prolific spinner at the T20 World Cup in late 2024, taking seven wickets at 14.85 in five matches.

Carey, 32, made the call to turn down a CA contract after receiving few playing opportunities while on tour with the national side, instead opting to focus on improving her game through more regular appearances for Tasmania.

The decision paid off, with Carey's outstanding domestic form with the Hurricanes in the WBBL, Tasmania in the 50-over Women's National Cricket League and most recently for Mumbai Indians in the WPL demanding an international recall in a T20 World Cup year.

Hamilton, meanwhile, has been rewarded for a standout Weber WBBL|11 campaign that saw her take out the Young Gun Award with selection in the Test squad. The former Australia U19s World Cup captain led the Heat’s bowling attack, finishing the season with eight wickets.

Meanwhile Schutt's 108-game one-day career may be over after she was overlooked for the ODI leg of the India series. The 33-year-old has been retained in the T20I side.

Schutt had already announced that last year's ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka would be her last, and with the next edition to be held in 2029, Australia may be starting to look towards the future in the format.

If this does signal the end, Schutt will finish her one-day career with 145 wickets - the 12th most in women's ODIs and fourth most by an Australian woman - and as a two-time World Cup winner in the format.

Harris, who was ruled out on the eve of that tournament with a calf injury, and Graham, who came in as her replacement, are the other members of last year's World Cup side not included to face India, with Carey the sole addition.

Selectors have also named a 13-player Governor-General's XI squad to meet India in a 20-over match at North Sydney Oval on February 13, captained by rising Queensland and Brisbane Heat allrounder Charli Knott.

Governor-General's XI squad: Charli Knott (c), Chloe Ainsworth, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth, Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Alana King, Anika Learoyd, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Rachel Trenaman, Georgia Voll, Corporal Frances Whittaker

T20I squad members Georgia Voll and Kim Garth, alongside King, have been named in the GG's XI side. All three are currently at the Women's Premier League in India, where Voll has four appearances under her belt for Royal Challengers Bengaluru while King and Garth have yet to play for their respective sides.

Hamilton and Knott, also involved with the WPL, have been included, while selectors have offered a hint to who they believe is the next 'keeper in Australia's pecking order, with Victorian Nicole Faltum named ahead of NSW's Tahlia Wilson.

The GG's XI squad also features Australian Defence Force cricketer, Corporal Frances Whittaker. A wicketkeeper and top-order batter, her selection continues a long-standing association with the Australian Defence Force that provides the opportunity for eligible serving personnel to participate in the annual fixture.

NRMA Insurance Australia v India Multi-Format Series

Australia T20I squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

 

India T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Uma Chetry, Arundhati Reddy, Amanjot Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Shreyanka Patil

February 15: First T20, SCG, 7:15pm AEDT

February 19: Second T20, Manuka Oval, Canberra, 7:15pm AEDT

February 21: Third T20, Adelaide Oval, 7:15pm AEDT

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

 

India ODI squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Kashvee Gautam, Amanjot Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Uma Chetry, Harleen Deol 

February 24: First ODI, Allan Border Field, Brisbane, 2:50pm AEDT

February 27: Second ODI, Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 2:50pm AEDT

March 1: Third ODI, Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 2:50pm AEDT

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

 

India Test squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh, Sneh Rana, Amanjot Kaur, Uma Chetry, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare

March 6-9: Test match, WACA Ground, 4:20pm AEDT (D/N)