Beth Mooney, one of three Australian captains in the women’s Hundred tournament in England, has endured a tough launch to her reign at Manchester Originals, failing with the bat before overseeing a comprehensive six-wicket defeat.
At the Originals’ Old Trafford base on Wednesday, the 31-year-old Victorian wicketkeeper-batter star lost the toss against the Southern Brave — and things only went quickly downhill after her side were put in to bat.
Opening the batting, Mooney, who’s taken over the captaincy from star English international teammate Sophie Ecclestone, had hoped to emulate fellow Aussies Meg Lanning and Grace Harris, whose brilliant batting on Tuesday had lit up the Hundred’s opening day at Lord’s.
Instead, she first had to watch her partner Kathryn Bryce get bowled for a second-ball duck before her own struggles began.
Mooney had managed to eke out just a single from the first five balls she faced before she failed to get on top of a delivery from English all-rounder Mady Villiers that got a bit of extra bounce and cut straight into the hands of backward point Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
Her exit was just the start of the collapse as the hosts were quickly reduced to 5-39 off just 41 balls, with Lauren Bell (3-28) and Villiers (2-18) doing most of the early damage.
Only Seren Smale rallied for the Originals, scoring an unbeaten 40 from 34 balls to give Mooney’s side a semblance of hope as they closed on 8-95 off their 100-ball allocation.
Laura Wolvaardt and Wyatt-Hodge put on 48 from 36 deliveries to set the visitors on the road to victory, even though the latter got a beauty and was bowled for 32 by England colleague Ecclestone.
Veteran Kiwi Sophie Devine was dismissed for a duck by Danielle Gregory, and Ecclestone caught Freya Kemp off Amelia Kerr, but Wolvaardt safely steered Southern Brave to a comfortable victory with an unbeaten 42 off 37 balls.
It was a disappointing start for Mooney, who’s been charged with helping restore the fortunes of the Originals as their on-field leader, as their women’s side has yet to progress beyond the group stages of the event.
Mooney’s fellow Australian skippers — Ellyse Perry is in charge of the Birmingham Phoenix while Ash Gardner is leading the Trent Rockets — will be hoping to do better when they lead their teams into a duel at Edgbaston on Saturday.
AAP
