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Australian opener Beth Mooney may have looked calm and composed in her match-winning unbeaten 74 during women’s T20 World Cup 2023 final but the real story was far away from it. As Mooney struggled for boundaries, she was willing to do the selfless act of retiring out herself and let a big-hitter take the field to increase the scoring rate.
Mooney revealed that she even sent a message back to the dressing room asking head coach Shelley Nitschke to retire her. As per cricket.com.au, Kim Garth who carried the drinks made the judgment call and did not convey Mooney’s message to Nitschke.
"I actually asked one of the girls who ran out if she could ask Shell if she wanted to retire me because I was hitting it that bad," Mooney said.
"But it just goes to show if you hang in there long enough and get the pace of the wicket … I probably didn't have a great plan through the middle there, I was stepping across and trying to hit it too square, but once I stayed a bit stiller and hit it a bit straighter it wasn't too bad."
At one point, Mooney was striking at run-a-ball. She reached her half-century in the 18th over off 44 deliveries. But she made it count in the final over by hitting Shabnim Ismail for a six and a four. She remained unbeaten for 74 off 53 deliveries. The opener’s record second half-century in T20 World Cup finals helped Australia post a fighting total of 156/6 against the hosts.
Australia head coach Nitschke was mighty impressed with Mooney’s knock as she said "There is just this steely determination."
"She's obviously highly skilled but there's just this real determination and an ability to read the game and today she, by her own admission, probably struggled a little bit early. But it was really important for us in the context of the game that she stayed there and went on to make a big score and she was striking really well at the end."
Rewarded for her performance on the big stage, Gujarat Giants named Mooney as their captain for the inaugural season of Women Premier League (WPL) starting March 6.
