Women’s Ashes: Beth Mooney inspires Australia with ‘incredible’ recovery

Beth Mooney’s speedy recovery from a broken jaw is set to inspire Australia ahead of the women’s Ashes Test this week.

Mooney will play in the one-off Ashes Test, which begins in Canberra on Thursday. Picture: Mark Evans / Getty Images

Beth Mooney is currently unable to eat without the aid of a straw and a blender, but that won’t stop her from plotting the demise of the English bowling attack on day one of the women’s Ashes Test at Manuka Oval.

A wayward cricket ball broke Mooney’s jaw at training earlier this month and captain Meg Lanning said the star batter’s high-speed recovery had inspired the Aussies ahead of the clash with their most bitter rival.

“It’s pretty incredible. Right from the moment she got hit, she was pretty positive about the whole situation,” Lanning said ahead of the Test, which begins on Thursday.

“She looks really good in the nets and in the field, so she’s confident she’ll have no issues moving forward.

“To be coming back to be playing international cricket around a week after having jaw surgery is pretty inspirational for the group.”

Aussie staff have kept a close eye on Mooney. Picture: Mark Evans / Getty Images

Australia’s dietitian, doctor and physiotherapist have masterminded a meal plan to fuel Mooney ahead of the long days on the pitch in the nation’s capital.

“She’s only on a liquid diet at the moment, which doesn’t sound like a lot of fun. Not a lot of variety,” Lanning said.

“Obviously with a Test match, the longer format, you obviously need to have (energy) over a long period of time, but they’ve done a great job.

“Moons has coped with it really well, so she’ll be ready to go.”

On Wednesday, Mooney was named in the Australian squad for the World Cup, set to begin in New Zealand in March.

Lanning said she couldn’t foresee any issues with fatigue or injury.

“She’s fit to play from a medical perspective,” Lanning said.

“It was around her comfort levels and confidence levels; getting back into it after being hit.

“Once she was cleared and she was confident and ready to go, there were no issues about bringing her back in.”

Mooney’s recovery has impressed Lanning. Picture: Mark Evans / Getty Images

Lanning said there’d been one major positive to come from Mooney’s injury.

“She said she’s able to eat unlimited amounts of ice cream, so she’s pretty happy with that,” Lanning said.

Rain is forecast for the weekend, but Lanning said the chance of wet weather wouldn’t factor into Australia’s gameplan.

“We’re coming here to win, there’s no doubt about that,” she said.

“That’s all we’ve spoken about over the past few days; how can we best set up a victory.

“There’s a bit of weather around, but I think there’s no reason why we can’t make that up over the four days if we do have a little bit of time taken out.

“Pretty confident we’ll get a good amount of time in through the game.”

Originally published as Women’s Ashes: Beth Mooney inspires Australia with ‘incredible’ recovery