Beth Mooney is widely regarded as one of the best WK-batters in women's cricket today. From a promising 16-year-old talent to a living legend, the Australian’s journey has been remarkable, marked by consistency and brilliance.
Mooney began her domestic career with Queensland Fire in the 2009-10 season. Although her early seasons were modest, she truly made a mark in the 2012-13 season, averaging 44 with the bat and hitting four half-centuries. In 2015, she signed with Yorkshire, contributing both as a batter and wicket-keeper. Mooney was part of 15 dismissals behind the stumps and played a key role in helping her team win the title. Her performances in the inaugural Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) were equally impressive, as she finished as the fifth-highest run-scorer, amassing 400 runs with a top score of 64.
Mooney’s consistent domestic performances earned her a call-up to Australia’s national team for a T20I series against India in January 2016. With Alyssa Healy unavailable, Mooney made her T20I debut and scored a steady 36 runs off 36 balls. The following month, she made her ODI debut against New Zealand, scoring an impressive 53 runs off 77 deliveries in her first game.
Her breakthrough year came in 2017 when she registered her first ODI century, scoring exactly 100 against New Zealand. That same year, she hit her first T20I century, an unbeaten 117* against England in November. Mooney also made her Test debut in 2017 and has since played 7 Tests, scoring 453 runs at an average of 37.75. Her stellar performances earned her the ICC T20I Player of the Year and Emerging Player of the Year awards in 2017.
In 2019, Mooney recorded another T20I century, scoring 113 against Sri Lanka. One of her most memorable innings came during the 2020 T20 World Cup final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in front of a record crowd. She scored an unbeaten 78, helping Australia post a massive total of 184. India were bowled out for just 99, and Mooney was named Player of the Tournament for her 259 runs throughout the competition. She also played a crucial role in Brisbane Heat’s back-to-back WBBL titles in 2018 and 2019, winning Player of the Match honours in both finals. After moving to Perth Scorchers, she helped the team claim their first WBBL title in the 2021-22 season.
Mooney’s international career continues to thrive. In 74 ODIs, she has scored 2,380 runs at an outstanding average of 51.73, with a highest score of 133 against Pakistan in 2023. In T20Is, she has scored 2,829 runs from 98 matches, averaging 41.00, with a personal best of 117* against England.
Mooney’s talent earned her a spot in the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), where she was appointed the captain. Unfortunately, she was injured in the first match and missed the rest of the tournament. However, she was retained as captain for the second season and shone with the bat, scoring 285 runs in 8 matches at an average of 47.50. Her highest score in the WPL is 85*, which she hit against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2024.