Last Updated on 1 hour ago by Charbel Coorey
As the Women’s T20 World Cup [WC] got underway with hosts England taking care of Sri Lanka, the Aussie Women enter the 10th edition of the tournament in unfamiliar territory. The Green and Gold are the hunters rather than the hunted, and are looking to bring a seventh T20 WC trophy back home.
Australia has been on a heater since the 2024 T20 WC, where they were defeated by South Africa in the semi-final in Dubai. They have won 10 of 12 games in the format, sweeping England in the Ashes, plus victories in bilaterals against New Zealand at home and West Indies away. The only hiccup was a 2-1 loss to India at home.
Australia Squad for Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England & Wales
Sophie Molineux (c), Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
Sophie Molineux will lead the Aussies for the first time in an ICC event after being given the full-time captaincy after Alyssa Healy hung up the gloves in January. With a few moving parts late in the preparation, it gives the Bairnsdale product plenty to ponder going into the opening game for the Australians, who take on 2024 finalists South Africa at Old Trafford.
Australia’s Pool A features old foes India at the Home of Cricket, which the Aussies will see in their last pool game on June 28th, as well as Bangladesh, the Netherlands, and Pakistan in the round games. There are three day and two night games, with Headingley and the Rose Bowl hosting two games each.
Australia’s Women’s T20 World Cup Fixtures
- 13 June: Australia v South Africa, Old Trafford, Manchester, 2:30pm local / 11:30pm AEST
- 17 June: Australia v Bangladesh, Headingly, Leeds, 10:30am local / 7:30pm AEST
- 20 June: Australia v Netherlands, Rose Bowl, Hampshire, 10:30am local / 7:30pm AEST
- 24 June: Australia v Pakistan, Headingly, Leeds, 6:30pm local / 3:30am AEST (25 June)
- 28 June: Australia v India, Lord’s, London, 2:30pm local / 11:30pm AEST
Two players who will be crucial for Australia in the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup
Let’s take a look at one player with each bat and ball who will have a massive impact on the Aussies’ hopes of getting the T20 World Cup Trophy back to Jolimont.
Batter: Phoebe Litchfield
T20I Career Stats: 33 Matches, 554 runs, 138.5 SR, 2 50s, 64* HS.
The young superstar Phoebe Litchfield will enter her second T20 World Cup under an injury cloud, missing the warm-up matches with a quad injury. However, she is expected to take her place in the XI according to Sophie Molineux’s comments at the pre-match press conference.
Having become a prolific run-scorer in the ODI format and currently ranked the #4 batter in the world, her 20-over numbers for Australia has wobbled slightly in 2026, with an output of 114 runs in six knocks without a score over 35. But, it’s set up for a breakout tournament for Litchfield in the International T20 Arena.
Her ability to score 360 degrees all around the ground complements the top order of Voll, Mooney, and Perry fantastically well. She has the skillset to go up and down the gears inside and out of the powerplay when required.
As well as being a gun in the field, she will also bring lots of experience playing in UK conditions, having played in three editions of the Women’s Hundred, scoring over 700 runs and striking at 140 for the Sunrisers Leeds. She will be a vital cog at the top of the order for the Aussies in a successful World Cup with the willow in hand.
Bowler: Kim Garth
T20I Stats for Australia: 15 Matches, 11 Wickets, 7.68 Economy
Australia’s new ball bowling has been a massive strength in the past 20 years of WT20Is. Fast bowling guns such as Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Rene Farrell, and Sarah Coyte have dominated in the powerplay when the ball swings. Now, Kim Garth will be looking to put her own mark on a T20 World Cup in the Green and Gold.
Garth’s ability to swing the new ball away from the RH and into LH batters not only complements Megan Schutt’s hooping inswingers but also creates wickets early on, with eight of her 11 wickets in T20I’s for Australia coming inside the powerplay.
Having spent some time in and out of the T20I side, Garth will be wanting to put her stamp on things. Also, the ability for Beth Mooney to come up to the stumps and the Stars pacer able to hold a consistent line and length will be fantastic for the Australians.
Recent history at the Rose Bowl and Lords in particular shows that the ball can stay low, and having the keeper up will hold the aggressive top-order batters the Aussies will face, such as Tazmin Brits, Richa Ghosh, Sterre Kalis, and Sidra Amin, in their crease and not be able to use their feet and attack the impeccable length of the 30-year-old.
