Hear her roar: lion-hearted comeback caps women’s cricket night of nights
Come in spinner. Sophie Molineux’s back in the frame to be national captain when Alyssa Healy calls stumps on her career in the next few years.
While most of Australia was sleeping, a courageous twenty-something cricketer continued one of the great comeback stories in sport.
Come in spinner. Sophie Molineux’s back in the frame to be national captain when Alyssa Healy calls stumps on her career in the next few years.
The Women’s Premier League final in India was held from 1am to 4am on Monday AEDT. Good only for insomniacs, the graveyard shift and the truest of cricket tragics. And yet on the subcontinent, it just might have been the most watched game of women’s cricket in history.
A full house of 32,500 had Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium rocking and rolling while the TV audience was estimated at 10 million in prime time on a Sunday night. Nobody went to bed, or back to bed, disappointed.
Superstar Ellyse Perry’s reputation soared to even greater heights in a game she called “bonkers”. By her side, rather quietly and diligently, was one of her best mates, the gum-chewing, respected, indomitable Molineux, continuing her soul-stirring resurgence in typically understated yet eye-catching fashion. “Proud to be a part of it,” she said.
Royal Challengers Bangalore secured the WPL title via an eight-wicket win over Delhi Capitals. Women’s cricket has never been more entertaining, thrilling and marketable. Never had so many eyeballs on it. Perry steered her side home with her trademark combination of toughness and elegance, making a crucial 35 runs from 37 balls to be the tournament’s leading run scorer, after a dream over from Molineux had swung the game in their favour.
The 26-year-old off-spinner took three wickets in a single over. That’s basically unheard of in top-flight cricket. Molineux spun it and won it to be named player of the match for a performance nearly too good to be true, considering where she’s come from.
Molineux was part of the Australian T20 team that won the World Cup in 2020 and danced with the other Perry, Katy, at the MCG that night. But she broke a foot in 2021 then slogged her way through a gruelling one-year rehabilitation. In late 2022 she ruptured her ACL and was wiped out for another harrowing year.
She cried when she was recalled to the Australian Test side last month and if there was a good news story in sport on Monday, this was it – Perry’s masterclass but equally, her mate Molineux’s return to the limelight.
“Finals are always funny games. We knew it was going down to the wire – pretty happy we got over the line,” she said.
“This award is special. To be picked by RCB after not playing cricket for a while … it’s an incredible competition.”
Molineux and her Aussie Bangalore teammates Perry and Georgia Wareham were scheduled to fly to Dhaka the following morning for the Australian team’s tour of Bangladesh. Starved of cricket for two years, Molineux now has back-to-back tournaments on her schedule.
She’s an astute and accomplished captain in domestic cricket and was mooted as a future Australian skipper before injuries struck. She’ll be in contention when 33-year-old Healy moves on.
Perry was as thrilled for Molineux’s success as her own. “We got there in the end,” Perry said, adding: “Aw, it was pretty bonkers, to be honest!”
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