After months of waiting, the Australian women’s team is champing at the bit to get back on the field for the start of a huge twelve month period that will incorporate two multi-format series, a World Cup and their first tilt at a Commonwealth Games gold medal.
The squad members have been on standby, with bags packed but unsure of when or where they might be heading, while Cricket Australia negotiated with state governments to obtain travel exemptions for players and staff in NSW and Victoria.
Confirmation that the series will take place on the Gold Coast and in Mackay means the focus can now switch to the series against India, starting with the first ODI at Great Barrier Reef Stadium on September 21.
“They’re different stresses, aren’t they?” said Beth Mooney, speaking at Metricon Stadium.
“I think we're really fortunate to, number one, still be able to play cricket in the current climate so we're really grateful for that and, number two, it's the way the world’s working at the moment.
“We've got to be ready to go at any point and Cricket Australia, the ACA, the federal and state governments have been doing an absolutely amazing job in supporting what we're trying to do.
“We're just really grateful that those stresses aren't real life stresses. We've been packing bags for our whole career to get on tour so I'm sure most of the girls can do it with their eyes closed now.
“So it's not too bad if it means the end result is we can place a really competitive cricket against a serious India team.”
The change in venues means a highly anticipated Test match on a fast WACA pitch will instead be played on a drop-in pitch at Metricon stadium.
But while the intriguing prospect of seeing how Australia’s young fast bowlers might fare with the pink ball under lights in Perth has evaporated, Mooney is hopeful the fresh pitch on the Gold Coast will provide plenty of interest.
“Obviously, the WACA offered a little bit of assistance for young quicks in Tayla [Vlaeminck] and Darcie [Brown] and obviously Pez [Ellyse Perry], Maitlan Brown and players like that,” said Mooney.
“We're really lucky that Metricon are putting out the drop-in wickets now for us to get prepped for that Test match.
“There hasn't been any cricket played on that wicket so I expect it to be a really great wicket, four days of really competitive Test match cricket will be seen on that wicket, and it's a great outfield as well.
“From all reports with the groundies and speaking to people that have played on that wicket, I think we're playing at the right time of the year and hopefully we can get a big crowd out to watch, hopefully, a spectacle of a women's Test match.”
Interstate players will quarantine for two weeks before the squad gathers for a week of training in Brisbane ahead of the first match, which has been pushed back four days from the original scheduled date.
While the Australians head into the match having played no cricket since their series in New Zealand in February and March - New Zealand is the only team they have faced since playing India in last year’s T20 World Cup Final - India arrive after playing a multi-format series against England and several players also took part in the inaugural Hundred tournament.
Several Australian players, including Mooney, pulled out of the Hundred because of concerns and uncertainty surrounding quarantine so close to the start of the Australian season.
“I think any opportunity to play cricket and you sort of miss out on that is disappointing,” said Mooney.
“Especially when you're at the elite level and in my mind the only way you can get better is to keep playing games and evolving that way so it was disappointing.”
“The Australian team are coming off a pretty slow winter. We haven't had any camps, we've been training within our states which has been a great system for us for a long time but there's nothing like playing international cricket.
“We’ve only played twelve games of international cricket since that T20 World Cup Final against the same opponent, New Zealand, so it's a really exciting time for us to get back on the park and hopefully build some momentum towards that One-day World Cup next year.”
