‘I’m all good’ – Mooney eases concerns after Voll’s emergency role

Australia Breathes a Sigh of Relief as Mooney Eases Concerns

Beth Mooney was confident that the back stiffness that saw her retired hurt against Netherlands would not prove a longer-term concern for Australia at the T20 World Cup after it forced the team to turn to their third-choice wicketkeeper in Georgia Voll.

Mooney walked off the field at the second drinks break in Southampton having made a fluent 74 from 42 balls which left Voll scrambling to ask for her team-mate’s wicketkeeping gloves with Australia’s initial back-up, Phoebe Litchfield, out with a quad injury.

Mooney’s Take on the Situation

However, Mooney was in good spirits after the game, blaming the long road trip from Leeds after the Bangladesh game – although it’s a journey Australia now repeat ahead of facing Pakistan on Tuesday.

‘I’m all good, just precautionary,’ Mooney said after being named player of the match. ‘Probably just not used to all the bus travel we’ve been doing.’

Australia’s Wicketkeeping Situation

The wicketkeeping situation is one Australia ran the risk of occurring when not naming a specialist back-up to Mooney in their 15-player squad. Until recently it has never been an issue for them because Mooney was a natural reserve to Alyssa Healy until her retirement earlier this year.

Tahlia Wilson, the New South Wales wicketkeeper who made her ODI debut against West Indies in March when Mooney had a minor injury in the Caribbean, is a traveling reserve but can’t play any part on the field unless called into the squad as a replacement.

Gardner’s Thoughts on the Team’s Adaptability

Ashleigh Gardner, who struck 58 off 32 balls after returning from an ankle injury, said the way Australia calmly covered for Mooney’s absence was a reflection on the squad’s adaptability.

‘Having Moons go down is super unfortunate because she’s such a world-class keeper,’ she said. ‘But, having to turn to someone who’s not really kept probably ever, but did a tidy enough job, it does show that depth within our side.

‘It’s certainly not something that we had planned for, but when these things pop up, people are really willing to just take whatever’s needed and go with the role they’re asked to do. So for Georgia today, it was to wicket-keep. Hopefully, going forward, that’s not called upon again.’

Voll’s Impressive Performance

Given her lack of experience in the role, Voll performed impressively, taking a neat catch to remove Phebe Molkenboer and not conceding a bye through 20 overs. She admitted it was a fielding stint that would stick with her.

‘It felt very ugly,’ Voll told cricket.com.au. ‘I don’t really know how it looked, but every time it came up on the big screen, I was like, ‘ew’.

‘It was pretty fun … it did feel a bit odd that I had to keep in a game for Australia, that’s for sure. That’s something that I will probably remember for a long time, because it’s something that I wouldn’t think would happen.’

Gardner’s Return to Form

Gardner, meanwhile, was pleased with how she came through her return after an unfortunate stumble in Leeds that ruled her out of the Bangladesh game with an ankle sprain. After not making a T20I half-century since December 2022, this was Gardner’s second in four innings going back to the India series in February.

‘My ankle’s good. I’d made a full recovery to be able to be confident enough to play today,’ she said. ‘It’s certainly still bruised … but all is good. I’m taking a lot of confidence out of that, being able to spend some time out in the middle with Moons [Mooney].’

After facing Pakistan, Australia will then wait until Sunday for their final group match against India at Lord’s.