Australia wicketkeeper-batter Beth Mooney is set to reach another major milestone when she plays her 100th One-Day International in the third and final ODI against Bangladesh at Allan Border Field in Brisbane on October 14.
While the landmark appearance highlights an outstanding career, the 32-year-old insists her focus remains firmly on future challenges, including another ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and the Olympic Games.
100 ODIs and Still Hungry for Success
Mooney enters her 100th ODI as one of Australia’s most consistent batters. She has accumulated 3,288 runs in the format at an average of 49.81, including six centuries, placing her seventh on Australia’s all-time ODI run-scoring list.
Despite her achievements, Mooney says the disappointment of Australia’s World Cup semi-final defeat to India continues to motivate her.
“I think there was a lot of bitter disappointment from that World Cup loss in India 12 months ago now,” Mooney said.
Australia responded to their 2017 World Cup final defeat by reclaiming the title in 2022, and Mooney believes a similar response is now driving the squad.
World Cup Remains the Ultimate Goal
Although Australia recently won the Women’s T20 World Cup and have several major tournaments ahead, Mooney admits the 50-over World Cup remains a special objective.
“The 50-over one is what you want to win as well,” she said.
“My motivation for me now is to play well enough in the next few years to put my hand up for selection in that 2029 World Cup, but also contribute in a positive way into a format of the game that is constantly changing and evolving.”
Olympics Provide Extra Motivation
The return of cricket to the Olympic Games has also given experienced players another reason to extend their careers. Cricket will feature at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and is widely expected to remain on the programme for the 2032 Brisbane Games.
“Certainly the Olympics is definitely an enticing one for players to hang around a bit longer,” Mooney said.
“We’re obviously seeing the game a bit more modern and are remunerated well, so it’s probably more likely people will start retiring a bit later.”
She added that the packed international calendar also makes retirement difficult to consider.
“I think the exciting part is there’s always something on the calendar, so it’d be pretty hard to retire at this point.”
Brisbane Dream Still Alive
Mooney acknowledged that representing Australia at a home Olympic Games in Brisbane would be a remarkable achievement, although she remains focused on the immediate future.
“Hopefully I’m still around, but that’s a long way away,” she said.
“There’s a lot of cricket to be played between now and then, a lot of tournaments to play with this Australian team and in franchise cricket, so my main focus is to contribute as much as I can to those, and also help the younger players along the way as well.”
Inspired by Australia’s New Generation
Mooney also praised Australia’s emerging opening pair of Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield, whose aggressive batting has transformed the team’s approach in 50-over cricket.
The pair shared a 162-run opening partnership during Australia’s nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second ODI, continuing the evolution of the women’s game.
“I guess that’s what excited me the most, is the fact that the 50-over game is becoming a lot more modern, and we’re seeing Phoebe and Georgia really take the game on,” Mooney said.
“Who knows how many runs we might be able to score in a 50-over game one day? That’s sort of driving me at the moment.”
As she prepares for her 100th ODI appearance, Mooney’s milestone reflects both an outstanding career and a continuing ambition to help Australia compete for more ICC titles in the years ahead.
