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Aussies eye Ashes whitewash in Test | 01:25
The disappointment of the T20 World Cup “fired up” the Aussies ahead of their Ashes demolition of England, according to star spinner Sophie Molineux, with a historic whitewash within the home team’s reach going into Thursday’s series-ending Test.
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The Aussies reached the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in September but suffered a heavy defeat to South Africa.
Australia heads into Thursday’s stand-alone pink-ball Test at the MCG undefeated this series with the opportunity to wipe the tourists and take all 16 points on offer, a feat no team has managed.
The Test, the first women’s Test at the MCG since 1948-49, follows six commanding wins by the Aussies in the shorter formats.
Molineux will miss the Test due to a knee injury but believes the dominant series is a reflection of a determined group.
“I think there’s been a big emphasis on fitness, on training hard and doing the right things in the Australian environment. I can’t speak for the English, but they’ve also got some world-class cricketers who have been able to perform for years,” she said.
“It’s a true testament to the place the Australian team is in at the moment. We had a disappointing T20 World Cup a few months ago and I think that’s really fired up everyone.
“You can see the way we’ve played over the last couple of weeks has been pretty incredible, you can tell there’s a bit of fire in the belly there.”
Australia has regained the Ashes with its strong white-ball form, but Molineux says the opportunity to complete a whitewash is inspiring the group.
“I think the idea of a whitewash against England is really appealing to the girls, especially after the first six games and how dominant they’ve been,” she said.
“Knowing that Australian squad, they’re going to want to finish strongly … the girls are firing and do want to walk away whitewashing the English.”
England’s Alice Capsey heads back to the dugout after being dismissed. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesMolineux, who has played three Test matches for Australia, was sidelined with a knee injury in December just after steering the Melbourne Renegades to the WBBL title.
She has undergone surgery and hopes to be back for the ODI World Cup in September.
“It’s good thanks; I had the surgery a week or so ago and am just recovering and looking forward to coming here and watch the girls,” she said.
“(It’s) pretty early doors at the moment, but I’d love to put my hand up for the World Cup in September, but I’ll see how everything tracks.”
