Published By: Saksham Mishra

Beth Mooney, a star in need of exposure

Among the best batters in the women's game, Beth Mooney simply doesn't get enough batting time because of the stacked Australian batting line-up.

Mooney opens the batting for Australia in T20 cricket but has to bat at number 4 or even lower in ODI cricket due to the likes of Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, and Meg Lanning occupying the first three spots.

The core beliefs

"You could say it's easy to go out there and score runs when your life is going easy outside of cricket when the wicket is a batting paradise and it's one of those days where things feel like you can do no wrong, but the innings you remember as a batter are the ones that you have to really grind out. Being able to get the team into a position to win a game that people think we can lose, I really pride myself on. Bringing people along with me as well. Tahlia McGrath has been doing a great job and found herself out there with me a couple of times when we've been under the pump," Mooney said in an interview.

"Just having that belief within the dressing room and within myself that you know nothing's ever too far gone for us to come back, so if I can hang on and get the team into a better position than when I walked out there, then I'm doing the job that they expect of me and I expect of myself. Excelling at run chases has been more about just calmness at the crease, whether I'm opening in WBBL or batting in the middle order in one-day international cricket. No situation really gives me any level of stress when I'm out there because I feel like I can control the game a little bit."

Versatility personified

While it is much harder to score runs in the middle order than at the top, Mooney has shown time and again that she has the ability to mould her game as per the situation.

She can grind it out when the conditions are tough and give respect to the bowlers. On the contrary, when quick runs are needed, there are not many better in the women's game than Beth Mooney, and to do it with the consistency that she has done over the years is remarkable.