In the vibrant opening day of the 2025–26 Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) at the iconic W.A.C.A. in Perth, Australia’s ever-reliable batter Beth Mooney added a touch of humour to the proceedings.
Representing the Perth Scorchers against the Sydney Sixers, led by new skipper Ashleigh Gardner, Mooney used her time on the broadcast mic to respond to a cheeky quip from India’s Jemimah Rodrigues. The light-hearted banter followed India’s dramatic semi-final win over Australia in the recent ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, adding a dose of good-natured entertainment to the Scorchers’ opening game, one they lost by 10 wickets.
The spark began earlier that day when Jemimah Rodrigues, starring for the Brisbane Heat in the tournament opener against the Melbourne Renegades, joked, “Honestly, I was not sure if Australia would allow me to cross the border to come here after the semi-final.” It was a humorous nod to India’s victory over Australia in the second semi-final of the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, a result that brought down Australia’s 15-match winning streak in World Cups.
That match, played on 30 October 2025 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, saw Australia, led by Alyssa Healy, post a massive 338 before being bowled out with one delivery remaining. India, chasing a record-breaking total of 339, found themselves one down early when Shafali Verma departed in the second over.
In walked Jemimah Rodrigues, who produced an innings for the ages, an unbeaten 127 off 134 balls, cracking 14 boundaries while steering India home with nine balls to spare. Awarded Player of the Match, she sealed India’s third appearance in an ICC Women’s World Cup final, ultimately becoming a standout performer of the tournament.
Under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur and head coach Amol Muzumdar, India went on to script history by lifting their maiden ICC title at the senior level, defeating Laura Wolvaardt’s South Africa by 52 runs in the final, once again at the DY Patil Stadium on 2 November 2025. Jemimah Rodrigues ended her maiden ODI World Cup campaign with 292 runs at an average of 58.40 and a strike rate of 101.03, including a century and a fifty across seven innings.
As fate would have it, Rodrigues’ match-winning innings against Australia became the talk of the cricketing world, and it resurfaced in Perth not through rivalry, but in jest. On mic during the Scorchers’ clash with the Sixers, the third game of the season’s opening-day triple header, Beth Mooney was quick to volley the humour right back. “We heard Jemi say she was worried they weren’t going to let her in because they beat us,” Mooney said with a smile. “But I actually thought they weren’t going to let us back in for losing. Thankfully, immigration let me in.”
The laughter that followed from the commentary box and the W.A.C.A. crowd showcased everything this new chapter of women’s cricket stands for: camaraderie wrapped in competition.
For Mooney, it was a reminder of her enduring charm and veteran presence in the league. The 31-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, who began her WBBL journey with the Brisbane Heat on 5 December 2015 against the Melbourne Stars, has carved an extraordinary career across franchises. For the Heat, she amassed 2,576 runs at a strike rate of 122.60 and an average of 45.19 in 75 innings, including 25 fifties and a blazing century (102 off 55) against Sydney Thunder at Cairns in 2019, a performance that earned her the Player of the Match award.
Since switching to the Perth Scorchers in 2020, Mooney has carried that consistency forward. In 68 matches for her new side, she has tallied 2,495 runs at a strike rate of 128.21 and an average of 47.07, featuring 19 half-centuries and two centuries, figures that firmly place her among the league’s most prolific run-scorers.
Though the Scorchers endured a tough opening night against Ashleigh Gardner’s rejuvenated Sydney Sixers, conceding a 10‑wicket loss, Mooney’s humorous on-air exchange cut through the disappointment, reminding fans of the deep-rooted friendship and professionalism binding players across nations.
The Rodrigues–Mooney banter went viral across social media soon after, hailed by fans and pundits as a refreshing symbol of modern sportsmanship. It encapsulated how elite players, despite being fierce competitors on the field, can light up the game with laughter and mutual respect.
In a sport long defined by rivalries and records, Beth Mooney and Jemimah Rodrigues have, with a few playful words, shown that humility and humour remain as vital to cricket’s spirit as milestones and medals.
(Quotes sourced from Cricket 7)
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