Australia captain Molineux fit for West Indies tour ahead of T20 World Cup

(Reuters) – Australia received a boost in their build-up to this year's women's Twenty20 World Cup after captain Sophie Molineux said she was fit ​and ready to return for the upcoming white-ball series against ‌West Indies.

The 28-year-old was ruled out of the remainder of Australia's multi-format series against India after suffering lower back issues following the opening one-day international in Brisbane last month.

The white-ball tour of West Indies begins on Friday.

"(I will be) playing in the T20s, (I am) available and looking forward to playing a role and getting back out there," Molineux said.

The bowling all-rounder, who captained Australia in three T20 internationals against India before Alyssa Healy returned to lead the one-day and test sides, is set to officially take over the captaincy for the Caribbean tour.

However, her role remains under assessment, with uncertainty over whether she will feature as an all-rounder.

"Probably just to see how we go, especially towards that back end with the one-day games," she said.

"We'll ‌just keep assessing but I'm looking forward to getting back out there again with the girls."

Australia have played only nine T20 internationals since the last World Cup edition in 2024 and Molineux said every match would be ​crucial as they target ​a seventh title.

"I don't think we're far off at all... It is very hard in T20 cricket to play the perfect game," she said.

"It's just being better for longer and realizing those moments that can go either way and winning those.

"We're doing everything really deliberately to be able to align ourselves to that style. We've got a really hungry group of girls and staff that really want to buy into that."

The women's T20 World Cup begins on June 12 in England and Wales.