Beth Mooney is an Australian cricketer who plays for the national cricket team. She plays for Western Australia and Perth Scorchers at the domestic level. She became the world’s number-one batter in WT20I cricket at the conclusion of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Bethany Louise Mooney was born on Friday, 14 January 1994 (age 29 years; as of 2023) in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn. Athletic since childhood, she grew up playing multiple sports, ranging from soccer to tennis and Australian rules football. She began her cricketing journey shortly before her eighth birthday when she was invited to fill in for her brother in the Kialla Lakes Cricket Club’s team. In an interview, while recalling the same, she said,
I always played cricket in the backyard with my family and one day my brother (Tom’s) team was short of a player and Dad said, ‘Why don’t you give Beth a go.I didn’t hesitate. I loved being outside. None of the boys complained, although I ran fine leg to fine leg, which is where you put your worst player. I played cricket from then on. That is how it all started.”
The invitation turned into her making regular appearances for Kialla Lakes Cricket Club. At 10, Mooney and her family moved to Hervey Bay, Queensland from Shepparton, Victoria. There, she attended Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School and Xavier Catholic College. She spent her childhood in Hervey Bay riding a bike along the Esplanade early in the mornings before school with her father and sea kayaking with their dog named Jasper. In Queensland, she was identified as the best catcher in her team at Hervey Bay Zone trials. Hence, her coach Richard Dugdale suggested she try wicket-keeping. Thereafter, she went on to play in the state championships. Then, she was picked as a wicket-keeper for the Queensland Primary School girls’ team. From the age of 11 to 18, she represented Hervey Bay’s boys’ Cavaliers after her parents moved to the NSW coastal town. After turning 18, she played for Queensland Fire meanwhile pursuing a teaching degree, which she quit in 2014. [1]The Weekly Times In 2020, she bought a house in the northern Brisbane suburb of Virginia.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 4″
Hair Colour: Blonde
Eye Colour: Light Grey
Family
Parents & Siblings
Her father’s name is Chris Mooney, and her mother’s name is Pauline Mooney. She has a younger sister, Gabrielle, and an elder brother, Tom. Gabrielle is an occupational therapist.
Husband
She is unmarried.
Fiancé
Beth Mooney is engaged to Ethan Marrinan, a doctor.
Career
Domestic
At 16, she made her debut for Queensland Fire in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) in 2010. She represented Queensland from 2009/10 to 2021/22.
At 21, Beth was contracted to play women’s cricket for Queensland and Australia. In 2015, Mooney was named to Brisbane Heat’s squad for the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL|01). Thereafter, she represented Heat in WBBL|02, WBBL|03, WBBL|04, and WBBL|05. She was named Player of the Series in the WBBL|02. She led the Brisbane Heat to win its maiden WBBL title during the 2018–19 season (WBBL|04) with a three-wicket victory over Sydney Sixers.
In the following season, her efforts led Brisbane Heat to win its second title when Heat defeated Adelaide Strikers by 6 wickets in the final; she was named Player of the Match. In the season, she became the first player to score 400 runs in five consecutive WBBL seasons during a match against Melbourne Stars. On 21 November 2020, during WBBL|05, Mooney became the first player to surpass the score of 3000 runs in the WBBL. She was named to Perth Scorchers’ squad for WBBL|06. She stood in as acting captain of the team for two games, replacing Sophie Devine who was sidelined due to a back injury. Mooney led Perth Scorchers to win the title of WBBL|07 in which she was the leading run-scorer with 547 runs.
She was named to Western Australia’s squad for the 2022–23 WNCL.
International
Mooney was a part of the victorious Australian squad that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 title in Bangladesh. On 20 February 2016, she made her ODI debut against New Zealand at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. On 26 January 2016, she made her T20I debut against India at Adelaide Oval, North Adelaide.
She made her test debut on 9 November 2017 against England at North Sydney Oval, Sydney in the Women’s Ashes. She scored her maiden WODI century on 26 February 2017 against New Zealand during the 2016–17 Rose Bowl series at Eden Park, Auckland. In 2017, she hit her maiden WT20I century when she scored 117 runs against England. She was a part of Australia’s 15-member squad for the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup in England. She was named in Australia’s squad for the 2018 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies.Cricket Australia awarded her a contract ahead of the 2019–20 season. In 2019, she hit her second WT20I century when she scored 113 runs against Sri Lanka. She was a part of the victorious Australian squad that beat India by 85 runs in the final of the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. In the final match, Mooney scored unbeaten on 78 off 54 balls, helping Australia win its fifth title. With the most runs, 259, Mooney was named the Player of the Series. During a group stage match against Bangladesh, Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney made the highest partnership for Australia Women for any wicket in WT20Is (151 runs).
Mooney’s 259 runs in six innings at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020, the most in a single edition, saw her move up two spots and become the number-one T20I batter in the world. She retained the Australian central contract in 2021. In the same year, she hit her second international century in WODI when she scored 125 against India. She was a part of the Australian squad that won the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. She hit a half-century in the final of the tournament in which Australia beat England by 71 runs to win their seventh World Cup.
She was a part of the title-winning Australian squad for the cricket tournament at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. Mooney was the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 179 runs. She scored 61 off 41 in the final against India and was named Player of the Match in which Australia won by 9 runs.
In 2022, she scored 918 international runs at an average of 65. Her impeccable performance led her to be named the Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World. In 2023, she hit her third WODI century when she scored 133 runs against Pakistan.
The Hundred
Mooney was bought by the London Spirit for the 2022 season of The Hundred in England.
Women’s Premier League (WPL)
In 2023, Beth Mooney was bought by Gujarat Giants at the price of 2 crore rupees for the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). Subsequently, she was named captain of the team. However, she suffered a calf injury in the tournament opener against the Mumbai Indians and was ruled out for the remaining matches of the season. Thereafter, South African batter Laura Wolvaardt replaced her and the captaincy was passed to Sneh Rana.
Awards
Team
- ICC Women’s World Twenty20 champion: 2018, 2020, 2023
- Women’s Cricket World Cup Champion: 2022
- Commonwealth Games champion: 2022
- 3× Women’s Big Bash League champion: 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22
- Women’s National Cricket League champion: 2020–21
Individual
- 2x Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World: 2020, 2022
- ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Player of the Tournament: 2020
- Commonwealth Games Player of the Gold Medal Match: 2022
- 2× Belinda Clark Award winner: 2021, 2023
- Women’s Big Bash League Player of the Tournament: 2016–17
- ICC T20I Player of the Year: 2017
- ICC Emerging Player of the Year: 2017
Facts/Trivia
- She is a left-hand batter.
- Her jersey number for Australia is #6.
- When Mooney overcame a dizziness-inducing illness to become the player of the match scoring 65 runs off 46 balls, the opposition wicket-keeper Alyssa Healy sledged her during her innings by saying on the player mic,
It’s actually not that hot out here”
- She loves to do cycling, read books,
- She is a dog lover and has a pet named Ruby.
- In 2022, she suffered from a jaw fracture during a practice session and had to undergo surgery. The incident happened when the Australian coach Matthew Mott delivered a ball.
- She occasionally consumes alcoholic beverages.
References
↑1 | The Weekly Times |
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