Last Updated:
Beth Mooney became the first Australian woman to score centuries in all three formats after her maiden Test ton in the Women’s Ashes.
Beth Mooney celebrating her century in the Women’s Ashes. (PC: AFP)
Australian legendary wicketkeeper-batter Beth Mooney became the first women’s cricketer from the country to score centuries in all three formats after smashing her maiden Test ton in the Women’s Ashes at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Saturday.
Mooney got the big century in the second innings of the one-off Test and the last match of the long series. Australia had bowled out England for a paltry 170 and Mooney, batting at number five scored 106 off 173 balls. Her knock included seven boundaries and contributed to a brilliant 154-run partnership with Annabel Sutherland. Together, they took Australia to 440 before the hosts won by an innings and 122 runs.
“The triple feat of centuries across all three formats is complete on the grandest of stages in the grandest of competitions. Beth Mooney, you are the epitome of batting eliteness,” Mel Jones said on Fox Cricket.
“She’s been wanting that for a long time … She’s a traditionalist, she loves Test cricket – and that will mean the most,” her fellow commentator Kirby Short added.
It was a typical adaptive Mooney innings. The 31-year-old scored almost all of her runs square of the wicket, running 55 singles and 10 doubles. This was her sixth international century.
With it, Mooney is now only the fourth women’s cricketer with centuries across formats after England’s Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont, and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt. She is also the fourth all-format centurion Australian overall after Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell and David Warner.
Mooney has played eight Tests to score 559 runs in 13 innings at an average of 43.00, with four additional fifties. In 82 ODIs, the senior batter has garnered 2,553 runs at 47.27 at a strike rate of over 85, with three centuries and 18 fifties. In 109 T20Is, she has 3,215 runs at 41.21 and a strike rate of over 124, with two centuries and a whopping 25 half-centuries.
With the massive win, Australia secured a historical 16-0 points whitewash over England, having previously won the three ODIs and as many T20Is.
“Really proud of the girls, great contribution from the whole squad,” Sutherland, who became the only woman alongside Mooney to have her name on the MCG honors board said. “16-0, how good. Really special to be here, to play a Test at the MCG, a ground I grew up spending a lot of time…to contribute to the team’s win is really cool.”
