Sophie Molineux named Australia's new all-format captain

[TheParraboy]

Well looks like its official

Sophie is one of my favourite players, however one odd thing, in the article below they say she wont be playing every game to manage her injuries. I would have thought that may have been a very good reason not to get the fulltime captaincy.

Mcgrath unlucky id imagine, seemed the most logical if you asked me before this announcement, and she will easily slot in as captain when Sophie doesnt play

Also Mooney got a good 2-3 years left easily, in all formats, would have been an option

Good to see Nicola Carey back in white ball, saw her in some IPL games and she is back to her best

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/aus-v-ind-women-2025-26-sophie-molineux-announced-australia-s-new-all-format-women-s-captain-1521398

Gardner named joint vice-captain alongside McGrath as new era begins after Healy's retirement






Sophie Molineux has been announced as Alyssa Healy's full-time successor as Australia's all-format captain and will lead for the first time in the T20I portion of the upcoming multi-format home series against India.

Molineux has been elevated ahead of current Australia all-format vice-captain Tahlia McGrath, who will remain in the role. Ashleigh Gardner, another captaincy candidate, has been named as a second vice-captain under Molineux, alongside McGrath.

"It's a real honour to be named Australian captain and something I'm incredibly proud of, especially following on from Alyssa, who's had such a huge impact on this team and the game," Molineux said.

"We've got a really strong group with plenty of natural leaders, alongside a lot of exciting talent coming through, and I'm really looking forward to working together as we keep evolving and pushing ourselves to the next level, while staying true to the identity that makes this team so special.

"I'm incredibly grateful for the trust that's been shown in me, and I'm excited to grow alongside this group of players and see what we can achieve together with Tahlia, Ash and the rest of the team."

Molineux, the 28-year-old Victorian spinner, is a left-field choice given she has not played either T20I or Test cricket since 2024 due her latest knee injury and she was managed through last year's Women's ODI World Cup on return. She also did not play a full WBBL for Melbourne Renegades.

But her success as Renegades captain, leading the club to a drought-breaking title in 2024-25, is a major reason for her elevation to the national job. Molineux will lead Australia for the first time in the three T20Is against India at the start of the multi-format series in mid-February before the retiring Healy returns to captain the side in her farewell ODI series and final Test match at the WACA ground in early March.

Molineux will then take charge of all three formats on Australia's multi-format tour of the Caribbean, which includes a Test match, before preparing to lead her country in the T20 World Cup in England in June.

National selector Shawn Flegler said that Molineux was the right choice as captain despite also noting that she would not play every game as they manage her workload due to her injury history.

"We will continue to manage Sophie's workload, prioritising key tournaments and major international series following injury challenges in recent seasons," Flegler said.

"Tahlia McGrath remains vice-captain, recognising her significant leadership contribution under Alyssa Healy. Tahlia has acted as stand-in captain on 16 occasions across formats, providing consistency and stability.

"Ash Gardner has been elevated to vice-captain alongside Tahlia, strengthening the team's leadership group. Ash and Tahlia provide complimentary skills in support of Sophie and are also both capable of leading the team as stand-in captain if required."

Meanwhile, legspinner Alana King has been dropped from the T20I squad for the India series following a difficult WBBL campaign. Tasmania and Hobart Hurricanes allrounder Nicola Carey returns to the two white-ball squads and is firming to play her first international since 2022 after some outstanding domestic and franchise form.

Veteran Megan Schutt has likely played her final ODI after she was left out of the 50-over squad. Schutt has also been left out of the Test squad with 19-year-old left-arm quick Lucy Hamilton called into her maiden international squad for the Test.

"Nicola has had an impressive past couple of years in domestic cricket and has also performed well overseas in both England and India," Flegler said. "She is an experienced player, with a strong skill set, and she will get an opportunity to test those skills as we build towards the T20 World Cup.

"Lucy is an exciting left-arm fast bowler who offers something different with the ball. She has worked hard on her game over the past few years and is someone we believe has a big future, while also benefiting from being around the group at this level."

Hamilton and King have been named in the Governor-General's XI to face India in a warm-up T20 game in Sydney on February 13 before the series starts on February 15.

Australia T20 squad​

Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux (capt), Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt , Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

Australia ODI squad​

Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Alyssa Healy (capt), Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

Australia Test squad​

Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Alyssa Healy (capt), Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

Governor-General's XI
Chloe Ainsworth, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth, Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Alana King, Charli Knott (capt), Anika Learoyd, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Rachel Trenaman, Georgia Voll, Corporal Frances Whittaker (Australian Defence Force)

 

[Twizzle]

 

[TheParraboy]

Calmness wins the day

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/inside-the-decision-to-make-sophie-molineux-australia-captain-1521427

A tight decision' - Inside the call to make Sophie Molineux Australia captain​

The spin-bowling allrounder beat Tahlia McGrath and Ashleigh Gardner to the top job despite an injury-hit career
Alex Malcolm

29-Jan-2026


The announcement of Sophie Molineux as the next long-term captain of Australia came as a surprise. But there is a world, if not for injury, where she may have already led her country.
Molineux, now 28, has been a leader ever since entering the Australian team as a 20-year-old. She captained Victoria's Under-18s. She was the youngest captain ever appointed at the Melbourne Renegades aged 21. She also led Victoria at 22 in the WNCL, even with Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry playing in her team at times.
"I've always enjoyed leadership," Molineux said after her appointment. "I've always enjoyed the opportunities I've had leading teams and starting at the Melbourne Renegades and at Victoria. I know it's a real passion for me."

Leading domestic teams is one thing, even at a young age. Captaining Australia full-time is quite another. The next leader is walking in the footsteps of giants. Only nine women have captained Australia across all formats in Molineux's lifetime and only six of them have been full-time leaders: Belinda Clark, Karen Rolton, Alex Blackwell, Jodie Fields, Lanning and Alyssa Healy.

It is understood that without a series of shoulder, knee and foot injuries, Molineux might have been considered a serious candidate when Healy was appointed after Lanning's retirement.
However, those injuries have been significant and can't be ignored. Molineux did not play Test or T20I cricket in 2025 and had to be managed through the ODI World Cup on return from injury. Over the course of an eight-year career she has only represented her country 58 times.

The other two candidates who were part of the formal interview process in Tahlia McGrath and Ashleigh Gardner have 119 and 190 international caps respectively and have been mainstays in a team which, until the last 15 months, had been unstoppable. Even Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland, who are seen as future leaders but were not considered at this time, have played more cricket for Australia before turning 23 and 25 respectively.
Sophie Molineux's calmness under pressure has impressed those in charge

But that Molineux even received a phone call from national selector Shawn Flegler prior to Christmas to be part of the process speaks volumes about how she is regarded.

"I probably didn't give myself much of a chance at the start to be honest," Molineux said. "That [the phone call] probably sparked something in me that, why not give it a crack and see how far I got in. It's been an amazing process to go through personally, and it's just a real honour today to be able to stand here."

That she has been chosen ahead of McGrath, who has already captained her country 16 times across two formats while acting as Healy's deputy, and Gardner, who has been one of the team's key match-winners and a heart and soul contributor throughout an era of dominance, is where much of the external surprise will come from although McGrath's dip in form had come at a bad time.
However, through multiple interviews with Flegler and coach Shelley Nitschke, as well as the Cricket Australia board, Molineux's calmness has stood out as a key attribute.
Australia are going through a transition of sorts. They have been unable to keep their cool in the last two global semi-finals they have lost. Calmness, both on and off the field, appears to be a desired trait in the leaders moving forward as they seek to regain the two titles that have slipped from their grasp, as well as the pursuit of gold at the 2028 Olympics.

"It was a tight decision," Flegler said. "You can see she's pretty calm. What you don't see is she's pretty cheeky as well. She's got a bit of white-line fever at times when she's extremely competitive, but she also brings people together, and we think Soph is the right person for this time. We've got T20 tournaments coming up in the next few years. That's the key format, and Soph has had success with the Renegades doing that."

Sophie Molineux's WBBL success two seasons ago helped her standing

Molineux's success with Renegades in winning a drought-breaking title in 2024 has clearly been a major reason in her elevation to the national job. Her Renegades coach Simon Helmot articulated what makes her a special leader.
"She's got a really good strategic brain, she's very, very smart on the field," Helmot told SEN. "[She] does take on information though and is very much open to analytics and information.
"Her greatest attribute is she has a great understanding of the temperature of a dressing room and her players. Her strength and also potentially, not a weakness, but a challenge, is sometimes she can care too much about everything that operates around the club.
"But I think that's one of her greatest attributes. That she's really caring of her team-mates, she tries to make sure that people feel very comfortable in the dressing room and out on the ground, just most importantly, so players can succeed."

An anecdote that stuck in the selectors' minds about Molineux's care for her team-mates was in 2022. She missed the ODI World Cup through injury but drove to Melbourne airport to welcome home her friends as winners despite not earning a medal herself.
"I've found a real passion for helping people," Molineux said. "And I look at that Australian team and what we have now, and we've got generational talent at both ends of the scale. To be able to bring all that together, that's the beauty and the really exciting part for me, moving forward and working with Shell, Ash and Tahlia, bringing it all together, and seeing if we can go to new heights."

Her injury history suggests she will need help. She has not been able to captain every game for Renegades in recent years. It is clear that Gardner and McGrath, as dual vice-captains, will lead at various stages even though Molineux was hopeful she could play every game.
"I'm going to do everything I can to play every game of cricket for my country and lead the group," Molineux said. "But at the same time, we do have to be smart, and it's not our first rodeo.

"I suppose the injuries and the setbacks, that's all a part of sport, but it's probably given me greater perspective. You know, things are never as bad as they seem in the moment or as good sometimes. So I think I could probably use that to my strength at times, and it might keep me a bit more consistent and calm in moments. And I know we're going to have a lot of big moments coming up that we're going to need that calmness."

 

[The Mad Hatter]

A few factions in the women’s team? Sophie could be a safe choice.

 

[Twizzle]