Source : ABC NEWS
Sophie Molineux has been hailed as an inspirational leader after guiding Australia to its Women’s T20 World Cup victory.
Molineux led Australia to a seven-wicket defeat of England in the final at Lord’s on Monday AEST.
Australia had not won the tournament since the 2023 edition in South Africa.
Teammate Phoebe Litchfield was among those who praised Molineux’s leadership, giving her skipper the lion’s share of credit for Australia’s seventh T20 World Cup win.
“A lot is down to our skipper, who has done a brilliant job to set us up physically and mentally,” Litchfield said.
But Molineux admitted she had concerns about her ability to captain at the international level.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Molineux said.
“When I took over, I was a bit messy at the start, to be fair.
“I suppose there were a few doubts internally, there were a few doubts externally. But what I’ve learnt over my journey so far is that you just have to keep believing.
“I’m incredibly lucky that people believed in me.
“And I suppose I believe in this team and this group more than anything as well. So it’s really satisfying.”
Australia was unbeaten at the T20 World Cup, with Molineux confident her side could enjoy sustained success in the format.
“We definitely will celebrate this, but it rolls on pretty quick after this, and we don’t think we’ve reached any ceilings yet,” she said.
“So, long may that live … I hope it becomes one of the great sides.”
AAP
