Melbourne: While Beth Mooney is focused on the ongoing Women’s Big Bash League, her mind is already racing ahead to March’s big stage when Australia play a day-night Test against India. With just 100 days to go, the Australian batter is thinking beyond the present and eyeing opportunities for fresh faces to break into the national side.
The pink-ball clash at the WACA Ground, set for March 6-9, will wrap up a high-stakes multi-format series featuring three T20Is and three ODIs. Emotions are bound to run high after India’s stunning semi-final win over Australia at the recent edition of the ODI World Cup, where Harmanpreet Kaur’s side claimed their first ICC crown.
“I think the scary thing about India now is they’ve been a little bit settled for a while with their selection calls and things like that. It looks like they’ve got a pretty good style of play in all formats of the game,” Mooney was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
“It’ll be an epic contest across all formats, ending in a Test match at the WACA, which is really exciting. (The World Cup) didn’t pan out how we wanted them to in that semi-final, but at the same time, we’re still playing a great brand of cricket in the 50-over format, and have found our way again in the T20 format as well, so I think it’ll be a really exciting series across the board, and hopefully we get plenty of fans out to see us,” she added.
For Australia, the series comes at a pivotal moment. The T20Is will be their first matches in nearly a year, offering a vital chance to test combinations ahead of the T20 World Cup in England in June 2026. The ODIs mark the start of a new four-year cycle in the 50-over game, a period expected to see significant squad changes.
And then there’s the Test. Scarce and unshackled by a championship ladder, women’s Tests provide selectors with rare freedom to experiment. It could be the perfect platform to blood the next generation and build momentum for the future.
“I think it’s a really great opportunity to get some players in and sort of blood them into the Australian team. Obviously, we’re heading into a T20 World Cup year, so that’s slightly different based on personnel. But I think certainly (the Test) is a great opportunity to get some young players around the group, give them some exposure and get them some opportunity in putting the Australian shirt on,” she stated.
India’s multi-format tour of Australia begins on February 15 at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
(IANS)
