Beth Mooney, often hailed as ‘Mrs. Consistency’ for her stellar performances in white-ball cricket, is gearing up to make her Test debut at her adopted home ground, the WACA Ground in Perth. As she prepares to open the batting alongside Phoebe Litchfield in the historic Test match between Australia and South Africa, Mooney sought guidance from none other than ‘Mr. Cricket’ himself, Mike Hussey, to enhance her preparation.
The left-handed batter, currently ranked as the world’s No.1 T20I batter and third-ranked ODI batter, is no stranger to the iconic WACA Ground. With four years of experience playing for the Perth Scorchers and two seasons representing Western Australia, Mooney is intimately familiar with the ground’s nuances. However, despite her extensive familiarity, she is yet to play a red-ball game at this renowned venue.
Beth Mooney Looks to ‘Mr. Cricket’ for WACA Test Debut.
“It was just awesome to have him down and pick his brains about batting at the WACA – he spent a lot of time here playing for WA and Test matches for Australia,” Beth Mooney said in Perth on Tuesday.
“He just said it’s going to be pretty tough early as an opener and to not get too frustrated with that … he had some great insights into opening here and facing the red ball when it’s a bit hard and might be seaming around, so hopefully I can channel my inner Mike Hussey on Thursday and score some runs.”
During Australia’s first training session ahead of the Test match, Beth Mooney seized the opportunity to tap into Hussey’s wealth of experience and expertise. The Test against South Africa marks Mooney’s seventh appearance in the longest format since her debut at North Sydney Oval in 2017. While she boasts a commendable record with a high score of 85 and three half-centuries from 11 innings, her Test average of 34 falls short of her impressive averages in ODIs (53) and T20Is (41).
“I think you can never get too ahead of yourself with the bat, it’s a pretty fickle game whether you’re playing T20 or Test cricket,”
“I don’t like to get too ahead of myself (but) if I feel like my game’s in order come Thursday, then hopefully I can contribute to some success for the team across that four days.
“Certainly I’m happy with my contribution so far, but there’s one game to go and it’s a really important game for us.”
Beth Mooney’s recent Test outing in Mumbai saw her contribute scores of 40 and 33, but she enters this game in exceptional white-ball form. In the six matches against South Africa on the current multi-format tour, Mooney has displayed her prowess with the bat, notching up impressive scores of 72no, 13, 82, 52no, 0, and 82no.
The upcoming Test at the WACA Ground holds special significance as it marks the return of women’s Test cricket to the venue after a gap of seven years, with the last women’s Test held here in 2014. Additionally, it will be the first Test match at the WACA Ground since Australia’s men faced England during the 2017 Ashes series.
Beth Mooney acknowledged that the pitch at the WACA Ground remains somewhat unpredictable, especially given the recent scorching temperatures in Perth. As the city braces for continued hot weather throughout the Test, Mooney and her teammates are prepared for the challenging conditions that lie ahead in this historic encounter.
“It’s going to be pretty hot during the Test and we’re assuming the groundies will probably have to put a little bit of moisture in the wicket, so we’re a bit unsure what it’s going to look like on day one,” she said.
“Traditionally this year it has been a pretty tough wicket to bat on.
“But I think we’ve got the bowling attack to take 20 wickets.
“We’ve got great spinners in our line-up if it does turn and great options with pace bowling as well.”
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