AUSSIES AIM TO BE BEST EVER
BETH Mooney has risen to be the best T20 batter in the world and has set an even loftier ambition for her World Cup-winning outfit to be one of the “greatest teams that has ever played”.
The path to achieving that ambition begins with three T20 clashes, beginning on Saturday against New Zealand before three ODIs, in which the Aussies will look to extend an 18-match winning streak.
It’s already a record for a women’s team, but Mooney said equalling the world record of 21 wins, set by Ricky Ponting’s men’s team, was the immediate goal for the Aussies before seeking more World Cup glory in the 50-over tournament in 2022.
“The easy part of playing for this team is everyone has a drive and an ambition to be better and to continually improve and evolve as players,” Mooney said.
“We’re ranked the No.1 team in the world, and we have big ambitions to stay there for as long as possible and be one of the greatest teams that’s ever played.
“But the one-day series, the carrot that’s dangling for us is the world record of 21 straight ODI wins. To get some momentum from this series leading into the one-day World Cup will be really important as well – making sure we’ve got our combinations right. We’ll be definitely gunning for that come February/March 2022.”
The 50-over World Cup was supposed to be played in New Zealand early next year but was postponed.
Mooney said the Aussies were so much better for the successful T20 campaign in Australia earlier this year that concluded with a memorable win at the MCG in front of more than 86,000 people.
There will be a small percentage of that in attendance at Allan Border Field this weekend, but Mooney said the pressure to perform wouldn’t be any less, and the Aussies were ready.