Cutting edge: Molineux's bold new selection strategy

The international cricket season has not even started yet, but Sophie Molineux has already played one high-stakes selection game.

After a 12-month period that was afflicted by various injuries and a mental health break, the highly rated allrounder hopes to spend far more time on the park than on the sidelines this summer.

 

With that in mind, giving her captain an amateur haircut inside the bio-secure bubble in Brisbane could be considered a bold strategy

With Australia skipper Meg Lanning seeking a pre-series trim after months of strict ‘stage four’ restrictions in Melbourne, and with professional hairdressers a definite no-no for the foreseeable future inside bio-secure bubbles, Molineux brushed aside her lack of professional training and headed to YouTube for some tips before taking the scissors to her captain’s hair.

Fortunately for Molineux, Lanning was pleased with her fresh look - which surely bodes well for the Victorian allrounder’s hopes of taking the field when the CommBank T20I and ODI series against New Zealand begins at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field this weekend.

"My first snip was Ellyse Perry and my second was Meg Lanning, so if there was one way to start, might as well go in with a bang," a laughing Molineux told cricket.com.au.

"They’re being very nice and saying they like it.

"It’s good fun. I’ve got no idea what I’m doing, but a few YouTube tutorials have helped and I’ve got a few notes I’ve written down.

"I’ve also got a spray tan gun set-up; I think Annabel Sutherland’s going to give that a whirl.

"By game one of this series we’ll all have short blonde bobs with very dark spray tan."

Image Id: 12364B61D5EF488AA032A7AC1A9620CF Image Caption: Lanning was pleased with the result // cricket.com.au

Molineux, a left-arm spinner and talented batter, burst into the international ranks in 2018, playing in every one of Australia’s matches during their successful T20 World Cup campaign in the West Indies the same year.

However, 2019 served up more than its fair share of hurdles for the 22-year-old from country Victoria.

She dislocated her right shoulder in a fielding mishap at state training in February last year, undergoing surgery and missing a series against New Zealand and the start of Australia’s Ashes campaign in the UK.

Molineux returned to make her Test debut in Taunton midway through the multi-format tour but was sidelined for subsequent series against West Indies and Sri Lanka to further rehabilitate the joint.

Returning for the Melbourne Renegades’ Rebel WBBL|05 campaign, Molineux played 10 matches before stepping away from the game to focus on her mental health.

And while she returned in January this year to be named in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, a corked thigh suffered in the lead-up to the tournament proved stubborn, preventing her from playing through the group stage.

As anyone familiar with the aftermath of Australia’s victory over India in the final at the MCG would recall, there was a happy ending – Molineux returned to play both the semi-final and the final, before stealing the show on stage with Katy Perry.

Image Id: 6DC6C7075847402182EFD8473C952853 Image Caption: Iconic duo: Katy Perry and Sophie Molineux // Getty

However, after playing just seven of a possible 33 matches across all formats for Australia since the 2018 World Cup final, Molineux is determined to add to her tally of three ODI and 21 T20I caps against New Zealand.

"During those times you go through waves of emotions, as any sportsperson would when injured," Molineux said.

"I suppose there was a bit of frustration that I couldn’t play consistently over the last little bit, but I feel like I’ve had a really good six months being able to knuckle down in the one spot in Victoria.

"I’ve loved going in to train with the state girls and to be training consistently.

"I’m just really excited and really looking forward to this season and stringing a full season of cricket together and hopefully beyond this as well."

This year has thrown up a few new experiences for Molineux; during lockdown in Melbourne, she bought a road bike, baked sourdough bread and studied a pickling course – "as every 22-year-old does," she laughed – and the unusual experiences will continue when the Australia players head from their Brisbane hub to Sydney next month to join the WBBL bubble.

After back-to-back semi-final appearances, both Molineux and the Renegades are determined to go one further this season.

"It’ll be good to get back into red," Molineux said.

"We’ve had a very similar squad for the last little bit and every time we get together the time flies.

"We get along well and to be in a hub and live in each other’s pockets is really exciting.

"Having Lachlan Stevens again as coach, I can’t wait to play under him again."

Image Id: 09F1D1FC227C4A03B4AE9EC9649403D5 Image Caption: Molineux in the nets in Brisbane // cricket.com.au

With bio-security rules to limit the Big Bash players to their Sydney hub for the five-week duration of the tournament, it seems likely Molineux’s new-found skills with the scissors may again come in handy.

"I’m treating this stint in Brisbane as the apprenticeship and once I get to Sydney that’s hopefully when the big bucks come in," she joked.

CommBank T20I and ODI series

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Belinda Vakarewa

New Zealand squad: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Natalie Dodd, Deanna Doughty, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jenson, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu, Jess Watkin

All matches to be played at Brisbane's Allan Border Field

September 26: First T20, 1:50pm AEST

September 27: Second T20, 1:45pm AEST

September 30: Third T20, 1:45pm AEST

October 3: First ODI, 10:10am AEST

October 5: Second ODI, 10:10am AEST (11:10 AEDT)

October 7: Third ODI, 10:10am AEST (11:10 AEDT)

Watch live on the Seven Network, Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports