From vital roles in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) to Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) to World Cups to Commonwealth Games, this Australian opener has never failed on making it count on the biggest of stages, and it’s none other than, Australia’s very own, Ms. Consistent, Beth Mooney who today turns 29 and below we bring to you the gritty openers journey to the top level.
The Victorian-born as a child played many sports, including soccer, tennis, and Australian rules football. Shortly before her 8th birthday, she was invited to fill in for her brother’s cricket team and the invitation eventually turned into her making regular appearances for Kialla Lakes Cricket Club. When Mooney turned 10, her family moved to Hervey Bay, Queensland.
In a Hervey Bay Zone trial, Beth was identified as the best catcher on her team and was advised by the team’s coach to try wicketkeeping. She was then selected as a wicket-keeper for the Queensland Primary School girls’ team and later progressed through higher-level junior Queensland girls’ teams. Meanwhile, she played for Hervey Bay’s boys’ Cavaliers team until she was 18 years old, as there were no girls’ cricket teams in rural areas.
Beth Mooney made her debut for the Queensland Fire in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) 4 days after her 16th birthday in 2010. Post her schooling, Beth Mooney started a teaching degree but soon quit her studies in 2014 to focus on cricket. Beth soon was a member of the victorious Southern Stars squad that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 title in Bangladesh. Beth played her first game for the Australia women’s national cricket team in a Twenty20 International (T20I) match against India on 26 January 2016 at the Adelaide Oval.
In T20Is, in 70 appearances, she accumulated 2098 runs at an average of 39.58, a strike rate of 124.73, and adding to her brilliant 15 half-centuries is the highest score of 117* that counts to her couple of centuries in the format.
On 26 February 2017, she scored her maiden Women’s One Day International (WODI) hundred against New Zealand. In the format, in 49 innings, she’s got to 1750 runs at an average of 50.00, a strike rate of 85.36 and with the highest score of 125*, she’s got a couple of centuries in the format and 12 half-centuries.
Beth Mooney made her Test debut for Australia against England on 9 November 2017 in the Women’s Ashes. In 7 innings, she’s got to 184 runs at an average of 26.28, a strike rate of 44.98 and in the format with a couple of half-centuries, she’s got the highest score of 63.
In December 2017, she won both the inaugural ICC T20I Player of the Year and Emerging Player of the Year awards. On 15 April 2021, Mooney was named as the Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World for her performances the previous year. Beth also was a part of the Australian team that won the 2014, 2018, and 2020 World T20 titles.
