Sophie Molineux Officially Announced Australia's New All-Format Captain

Sophie Molineux has officially been confirmed as the all-format captain of the Australian women’s cricket team on Thursday. Molineux succeeds the retiring Alyssa Healy.

Healy, 35, announced earlier this

month that she would retire in March, having taken over as captain in 2023 from Meg Lanning.

The 28-year-old Molineux will take the reins of the T20 side when Australia hosts India next month, before assuming the one-day and Test duties for their tour of the Caribbean in March.

“It’s a real honour to be named Australian captain and something I’m incredibly proud of, especially following on from Alyssa, who’s had such a huge impact on this team and the game,” Molineux said on Thursday.

“We’ve got a really strong group with plenty of natural leaders, alongside a lot of exciting talent coming through, and I’m really looking forward to working together as we keep evolving and pushing ourselves to the next level, while staying true to the identity that makes this team so special. I’m incredibly grateful for the trust that’s been shown in me, and I’m excited to grow alongside this group of players and see what we can achieve together with Tahlia, Ash and the rest of the team,” she added.

Cricket Australia’s Head of Performance (Women’s Cricket) and National Selector Shawn Flegler said Molineux is the “right person” to lead the team.

“Sophie is an outstanding leader and we are thrilled for her to take on the role. Sophie is highly respected within Australian cricket, and her resilience, composure and proven domestic leadership makes her the right person to lead the team into a new era,” he said in a statement.

“We will continue to manage Sophie’s workload, prioritising key tournaments and major international series following injury challenges in recent seasons,” he added.

Tahlia McGrath, who had filled in for Healy before and was tipped by many as her successor, remains vice-captain alongside Ashleigh Gardner.

“Tahlia McGrath remains vice-captain, recognising her significant leadership contribution under Alyssa Healy. Tahlia has acted as stand-in captain on 16 occasions across formats, providing consistency and stability,” Fleger said.

“Ash Gardner has been elevated to vice-captain alongside Tahlia, strengthening the team’s leadership group. Ash and Tahlia provide complementary skills in support of Sophie and are also both capable of leading the team as stand-in captain if required,” he added.