Australia at Women’s T20 World Cup 2026: Meet Sophie Molinuex’s side

Six-time T20 World Cup champion Australia comes into the 2026 edition as, no surprises, one of the prime contenders to go the distance for a record seventh time, when no other country has tasted glory more than once.  

The selectors have once again named a strong squad with captain Sophie Molineux at the helm that will make the Aussies a force to reckon with. 

As many as 11 players from the title winning 2023 campaign are a part of the 15-member squad for the upcoming edition in England and Wales.

However, for the first time in a while perhaps, Australia comes into the tournament without the usual air of invincibility it has carried into ICC tournaments in the past.  

Having enjoyed the privilege to enter tournaments as defending champion on multiple occasions, the Aussies won’t be doing so for the first time since the 2018 edition.

On top of that, only time will tell if Australia under Molineux, yet to be tested in an ICC tournament, will be able to replicate the success of the past under Meg Lanning.  

Australia is part of Group 1 alongside India, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Pakistan, and South Africa. The team begins its campaign against South Africa on June 13.

Here’s everything you need to know about Australia’s squad:

Sophie Molineux, 28, captain, left-arm orthodox bowling all-rounder

Australia have produced great captains who have won multiple ICC trophies in the past like Ricky Ponting and Meg Lanning, just to name a few, and in that context, Sophie Molineux to stamp her name in the history books. 

Molineux is still very much in her early days of her captaincy career, having taken over from Alyssa Healy at the start of the year. 

But in this short period of time, she has shown she can be an able T20 captain when she led Melbourne Renegades to the Women’s BBL 2026 Title. She has been quite effective with the ball too- in 44 matches, she has taken 46 wickets, with career best figures of 4/16. 

Molineux was also the joint second highest wicket taker in the 2024 edition of the Women’s Premier League representing Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The 2026 edition will be the 28-year-old’s fourth appearance in a T20 World Cup. 

Ellyse Perry, 35, right-arm all-rounder

One of the greatest, if not the greatest ever athletes, not just for Australia, but across the globe, Ellyse Perry’s dual passions for cricket and football — she even represented Australia at the 2011 FIFA World Cup — are well known.

Perry’s records in her staggering 19-year-career are far too many to compress in the space of a few sentences. 

Just to name a couple, Perry is the only cricketer who has scored 7000 runs and taken over 300 wickets across all three formats and also the only cricketer to have achieved the prestigious double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in the shortest format.

Perry has been part of the squad and played a crucial role in all of Australia’s previous T20 World Cup triumphs. Her performance in the 2010 final was arguably one of the standout moments of her career. The 35-year-old registered figures of 3/18 from her four overs which culminated in a dramatic final delivery.

New Zealand, with Sophie Devine at the crease, needed five off the last ball to become champions. Devine attempted a shot down the ground, only for Perry, bowling the final over, to stop the ball with her boot and prevent a certain boundary, producing one of the most iconic moments in Women’s T20 World Cup history.

Georgia Voll, 22, right-handed opener

The current No.1 ranked T20 batter burst onto the scene in 2024 and it did not take long for her to show everyone she was a generational talent. 

In just her second ODI, she smashed a century against Australia and followed it up with her maiden T20I century against West Indies a year later. In 22 matches in T20Is, Voll has scored 474 runs at a healthy strike rate of 156.43.

Voll has big shoes to fill in place of the retired Alyssa Healy but from the evidence so far, she is on the right trajectory to achieve big things for her country. 

Cricket wasn’t infact the first sport she pursued. Voll was a rugby league player growing up and represented Queensland at Under-18 level before focusing full-time on cricket.

Beth Mooney, 32, wicket-keeper, left-handed batter

Beth Mooney, one of the most experienced names in the squad, brings versatility to the batting lineup. 

Mooney has the ability to bat in any position in the top six and has aggregated 3545 runs from 118 matches in T20Is at a healthy average of 41.22, which includes two centuries and 28 half-centuries.

The 32-year-old also played a crucial role in the 2020 T20 World Cup when her partnership with Alyssa Healy helped Australia win its fifth title. Mooney was the player of the tournament in that edition.

Mooney also has 49 catches and five stumpings to her name, and has also impressed for the Gujarat Titans in the WPL, emerging as the top run scorer for the team in the 2024 edition.

Domestically, Mooney led Brisbane Heat to consecutive Big Bash League titles in 2018 and 2019 with player of the match performances in both the finals before moving to Perth Scorchers and helping the team win the title in the 2021-22 campaign.

Annabel Sutherland, 24, right-arm all-rounder

Annabel Sutherland is just 24-years-old but she has already scored a Test double-century, has six international centuries, and has seven four-wicket hauls. Talk about having an impact. 

Ever since she made her international debut in 2020, Sutherland has arguably been one of Australia’s most valuable players. 

In T20Is, she is yet to make much of an impression with the bat owing to limited opportunities lower down the order but she has flourished with the ball. In 48 matches, Sutherland has taken 44 wickets with a career best figure of 4/8.

Phoebe Litchfield, 23, left-handed batter

Phoebe Litchfield grew up in New South Wales playing with boys at the age of 14 and by the time she was 19, she had made her mark in women’s cricket. 

Litchfield made her T20I debut in 2022 and has been delivering strong performances since, especially in the ODI format where she has amassed over 1500 runs at an average of 44.55.

Her numbers in T20Is are not as impressive but the best is yet to come for the youngster- in 33 matches, Litchfield has scored 554 runs, including two half-centuries.

The 23-year-old also happens to be one of the best fielders going around, making her a valuable commodity in the Australian set-up. She can also double up with the gloves.

Kim Garth, 30, all-rounder, right-handed batter, right-arm pace bowler

Kim Garth is another player who adds balance to the Australian squad with her all-round skills. Garth, born in Dublin, used to represent Ireland until 2020 and in fact represented the country in two T20 World Cups, the 2016 and the 2018 editions respectively.

But after shifting her residence to Australia, she donned the Baggy Green and has been a regular for the Aussies across all three formats ever since. 

The 30-year-old is known for her ability to swing the new ball and can also strike a few big shots batting down the order.

Ashleigh Gardner, 29, all-rounder, right-arm off-break, right hand batter

Ashleigh Gardner is just the second indigenous player to represent Australia women, and only the fourth overall.

Her roots and background aside, Gardner has gone on to become one of the greatest all-rounders for Australia alongside Ellyse Perry.

One of the vice captains, Gardner has scored 1483 runs and also taken 81 wickets in 100 T20Is.

The 29-year-old has also impressed in the WPL representing Gujarat Titans, for whom she has scored over 800 runs and taken more than 30 wickets in just 34 appearances.

The 2026 edition will be Gardner’s fifth appearance in a T20 World Cup. Gardner was also the player of the tournament in the 2023 edition. 

Alana King, 30, right-arm leg break bowler

Alana King has had a roller-coaster ride in her Aussie career so far.

While she has displayed her ability to be an effective leg spinner on multiple occasions, she was dropped from the squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup and sparsely used for the Ashes in 2023, despite making a strong impression during her debut year in 2021.

But her fortunes changed for the better post the 2024 T20 World Cup. She was named the player of the series in the 2024-24 Ashes and also made history when she registered figures of 7/18 in the 2025 ODI World Cup against South Africa.

King drew inspiration from Shane Warne and even got the chance to meet him in school when Warne supposedly advised her to ‘spin the ball as hard as she can.’ And that’s exactly how her bowling can be best described.

Tahlia McGrath, 30, batting all-rounder, right-hand batter

The co-vice captain along with Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia Mcgrath made her debut for Australia in 2016 but had to wait another three years for her next opportunity.

But since her return in 2022 to T20Is, there has been no looking back. In February that year, McGrath became the first Australian to score more than 75 runs and take three wickets in a T20I fixture, a feat she achieved against England. 

After her first ten T20I innings, she held an otherworldly average of 121.25 with a strike-rate of 149.69, performances that cemented her place in the side.

Talking about her captaincy skills, Mcgrath has successfully led Adelaide Strikers to back to back WBBL titles in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

Her international returns have since dipped, but she will hope to have a good run in England to push Australia’s bid to reclaim its T20 crown.

Megan Schutt, 33, right-arm pace bowler

With over 300 wickets, the ever-green Megan Schutt is still one of the very best in the circuit and will lead the Australian bowling attack.

Schutt with 152 wickets is comfortably Australia’s leading wicket taker in the shortest format and was also the highest wicket taker in the 2021 edition with 13 wickets, including a four-wicket haul in the final against India.

She might not be the fastest bowler going around but her inswingers combined with her deceptive variations makes for a lethal combination. Schutt is also the all-time leading wicket-taker in T20 World Cups with 48 wickets. 

She has announced that the 2026 edition of the World Cup will be her final ICC tournament.

Lucy Hamilton, 20, all-rounder, left-arm pace bowler, left-arm batter

Lucy Hamilton, the youngest member of the squad, has played only four international matches for her country so far. 

Hamilton was preferred over Darcie Brown, a surprising call which national selector Shawn Flegler explained was down to maintaining the left-right arm balance in the bowling unit. 

On Test debut, Hamilton took a six wicket-haul and in her only appearance in T20Is, the 20-year-old took one wicket.

Hamilton has also represented Australia in the 2023 and 2025 (captain) U-19 T20 World Cups. She made her mark in the 2023 edition when she picked up five wickets at a remarkable average of just 10.80. The 20-year-old represents Delhi Capitals in the WPL. 

Grace Harris, 32, all-rounder, all-rounder, right handed batter, right arm off break 

A hard-hitting specialist, Grace Harris can smack the ball a long way. 

Typically a finisher in the T20I setup, Harris made her debut in 2015 and notwithstanding a six-year career gap (due to a number of health issues, including recurring blood clots), has played impactful knocks for her country time and again. 

Harris’s strike rate of 154.95 in T20Is is the highest among all players that have played at least 50 matches, an indication as to just how explosive she has been.

The 32-year-old can also bowl part time off-spin, and has taken nine wickets from 55 matches in her T20I career.

Georgia Wareham, 27, right-arm leg break bowler

Georgia Wareham, like Alan King, looked up to Shane Warne in her childhood and is Australia’s first choice leg spinner. 

Wareham has produced standout performances twice in T20 World Cups in the past- in the 2018 final, she recorded figures of 2/18 to help her team win its fifth title and in the 2020 edition at home, Wareham took 3/17 against New Zealand to help Australia qualify for the semifinals. 

An ACL injury in 2021 kept her out of action for 18 months but registered figures of 3/20 in her comeback match against Bangladesh. 

In 75 matches in T20Is, Wareham has taken 74 wickets. Her batting too has become better in recent times, having scored 324 runs at a strike rate of 135.56. 

Nicola Carey, 32, right-arm medium pace bowler

Nicola Carey has come a long way since first declining a central contract in 2023. It’s a call she took to focus exclusively on domestic cricket, after spending most of her time on the sidelines in the national team due to heavy competition. 

And ultimately, its her performances in the domestic circuit paved the way for her inclusion to the team. 

After being named as a replacement player in the 2012 and 2016 editions and making the cut for the squad in the 2020 edition, Carey will be keen for an opportunity to put on a good showing and cement her place in the side in the forthcoming edition. 

A look at her numbers suggest there’s more to come from the 32-year-old. In 31 matches, Carey has taken 19 wickets at an average of 27.52 and economy rate of 7.23. 

Published on Jun 13, 2026