In the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, 6-time champions Australia were unable to defend their crown, with South Africa handing them a crushing eight-wicket defeat in the semi-final. The Proteas got their revenge for the previous edition’s (2023) final loss, knocking the defending champions out of the tournament.
The pain of that knockout loss remains fresh for the Australians. In a conversation with Fox Sports, Aussie pacer Kim Garth said Australia has “something to prove” in the upcoming ODI World Cup, which is to be held in India and Sri Lanka later this year.
Australia has long been a dominant force in ICC tournaments. In the history of the ODI World Cup, they’ve won an impressive 7 out of 12 editions, including a remarkable three-peat between 1978 and 1988. Their success extends to the T20 World Cup as well, where they’ve claimed the title 6 times out of 9 tournaments held.
Australia will enter the upcoming World Cup, which will take place in India and Sri Lanka, as the defending champion. Skipper Alyssa Healy said the team is looking to win consecutive ODI World Cups. The knockout elimination against South Africa might further provide an added determination for Healy and her girls.
Garth, who wasn’t part of the losing squad, told Fox Cricket, “It’s never nice to lose in such big events. I know a lot of the girls in the squad probably haven’t done much of that; there’s been a lot of success within the team.”
She further added, “We definitely have something to prove, and what that looks like in India, we’re still a bit unsure of it at the moment, but we’re working through that. We always go out with something to prove, whether that be that we are the best team or on the back of the World Cup last year, coming back to try and win the next one.”
Australia continues to enjoy a dream run in international cricket, winning 15 matches on the trot. After the T20 World Cup semi-final exit, they won 3-0 against India. Later, they defeated New Zealand 2-0, with one game washed out. However, the highlight of the 2024-25 season remained the ruthless and clean sweep against arch-rivals England during the Women’s Ashes.
They again toured New Zealand, this time defeating the White Ferns in the T20I series. For this success and dominance, Kim Garth gave credit to the “ultra positive” brand of cricket that emerged following last year’s T20 World Cup heartbreak.
In her conversation with Fox Cricket, Garth said, “We went away, did some reflecting and spent a lot of time figuring out how we want to play moving forward, and that just doesn’t go for the 20-over format; we spoke about what it looks like in the longer formats of the game as well.
“Basically, just making sure we’re always being ultra positive but also thinking on our feet and finding a way to do that in different conditions. As crap as it is to lose in world events like that, sometimes it’s probably for the better in the long run. It’s a bit cliche, but you do learn more from failing.”
Garth, who shifted her cricketing base from Ireland to Australia, made her debut for Australia in 2022. Having previously toured the subcontinent, along with her WPL experience, Garth’s familiarity with local conditions could prove vital in Australia’s bid to win back-to-back World Cups.
She says, “Obviously my strength is to shape the ball away, but I’m just trying to stay ahead of the game and be a bit less predictable with that new ball. In subcontinent conditions as well, that’s going to be very important as well, just keeping the stumps in play a bit more.”
She also talks about the unfamiliar weather conditions during the month of September in India. “I don’t think I’ve ever played over there in September … the grounds we’re going to be playing at, I don’t think we’ve played a lot on them before, so there are a lot of unknowns,” Garth said.
Interestingly, the Australian national women’s team has never played in Indore or Guwahati, and their last appearance in Bengaluru dates back to 1997. But she adds, “It’s just about being able to adapt and think on your feet when you’re over there. There are probably no excuses nowadays with lots of footage, looking at scores and then watching footage from other games that have been played there.”
The 29-year-old has been out of action since Australia’s T20 tour of New Zealand in March and is set to return in the upcoming Australia A series against India A, providing a valuable chance to get some rhythm ahead of the World Cup. National teammates Alyssa Healy, Darcie Brown and Tahlia McGrath will also take part.
(Quotes sourced from Fox Sports)
