2023 T20 Women’s World Cup: How Beth Mooney Is The Epitome Of Aussie Excellence

Beth Mooney is not even 30. She’s already participated in four T20 Women’s World Cup editions as well as two Women’s ODI world Cups. What’s more?

In a few days from now, rather make that hours to count or simply pass by, she’s all set to captain a side in the inaugural season of the Women’s IPL in India.

But that’s no impact; it’s a barren statement of fact.

You ascertain Beth Mooney’s true impact in the women’s game, when you realize that she’s had a massive hand to play in the three T20 World Cup titles that her Australia side have clinched since that sudden loss in 2016.

And these aren’t World cup wins, these are three consecutive titles.

In the 2018 Women’s T20 finals, with Australia asked to chase down a paltry 106, Mooney offered composure after Alyssa Healy’s quickfire explosion and hung in there until nearly the eighth over. The team would eventually get over the line without much ado.

In the big fat 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup finals that set the ball rolling for Women’s cricket’s briefest format, Beth Mooney offered a masterclass in batting.

Of her team’s ultimately very India-massacring 184 runs, Mooney stroked 78 on her own and took only nine overs to register that impactful unbeaten score. At no point did she seem confused, jittery or even remotely vulnerable.

Lest it is forgotten, a whopping 86,000 plus gathered at the MCG to see the Aussies rule!

But even that wasn’t it; the best of Beth Mooney was still to come.

As evidenced a few hours back, her batting brilliance was, arguably speaking, single handedly responsible for crushing some 59 million South African hearts.

As an entire Rainbow Nation awaited its girls to lift the T20 World Cup glory, Beth Mooney’s batting madness descended upon what was perhaps an unsuspecting South Africa.

Sune Luus unfurled just about everything to stop the Beth Mooney juggernaut

She brought in the world class Shabnim Ismail, responsible for delivering this edition’s fastest delivery (128 kmph). Then the great Marizanne Kapp was brought on.

There was a time where Mlaba and Tryon attacked in tandem.

But none were able to breach past the strong defences of Beth Mooney.

The very sniper-like-alert batter from good old Shepparton presided over the tense mega final with unwavering focus and commitment.

There was this grace about Beth Mooney’s batting. There was, as always, that purpose.

74 of Australia’s 156 runs came off the bat of the talent who’s ever willing to rise to the team’s cause.

In the end, the stronger team prevailed.

Though what mustn’t be forgotten is just how important and precious a player Beth Mooney is to what is essentially a star-studded side.

If there ever was an occasion from which to determine her might, then perhaps what the rest of the team managed vis-a-vis what Beth Mooney did on her own in the game would suffice.

While the likes of Healy, Manning, Perry and Harris scored collectively were no more than 45 runs. Beth Mooney, quite simply, outshone them all.

In a side where Alyssa Healy is the big destroyer, Perry the star all rounder and Lanning, quite simply, the ‘great Meg,’ Beth Mooney has made a name for herself placing patience and purpose adjacently.

She’s so hardwired in the present in any given contest that the aftermath of a contest or the cricketing residue just doesn’t seem to affect her at all.

For what matters most is batting in the present, with much purpose.

Perhaps that is why here’s a batswoman who’s more content in looking for the gaps and not over-hitting hit.

This very Michael Hussey-meets-Mithali Raj sort of mindset has unfurled a true big match performer that not just Australia, but world cricket is fortunate to have.

It’s just that we need to read a lot more about this committed doer for Australian cricket than we do, what say?