The Australian batter reflects on World Cup disappointment and her motivation to continue playing across multiple formats and tournaments.
Beth Mooney will reach her 100th ODI appearance when Australia faces Bangladesh in the final match of their three-game series at Allan Border Field on Wednesday. The 32-year-old has become one of Australia's most reliable performers in the 50-over format, sitting seventh on the country's all-time ODI run list with 3288 runs at an average of 49.81, including six centuries.
Mooney remains driven by unfinished business from the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup, where Australia fell short in the semi-final against India. She has outlined her ambitions across multiple tournaments and formats that lie ahead for the Australian team, speaking about her targets for the coming years.
"I think there was a lot of bitter disappointment from that World Cup loss in India 12 months ago now, and looking ahead we've obviously come off a T20 World Cup win, we've got a Champions Trophy, there are a lot of ICC events and Ashes series and big series coming up," Mooney said as quoted by Cricinfo.
"But the 50-over one is what you want to win as well, so I guess the motivation for me now is to play well enough in the next few years to put my hand up for selection in that [2029] World Cup, but also contribute in a positive way into a format of the game that is constantly changing and evolving," she added.
The 2029 World Cup represents Mooney's primary target, but she is also considering the possibility of extending her career to the 2032 Olympics. Cricket will feature at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and is expected to return for the 2032 Brisbane Games, Mooney's current home town. At 38 years old in 2032, Mooney acknowledged the uncertainty of her involvement in that distant event. She recognised that modern conditions in women's cricket, including improved remuneration and consistent tournament schedules, make longer careers more feasible than in previous generations.
"Certainly the Olympics is definitely an enticing one for players to hang around a bit longer. We're obviously seeing the game a bit more modern and are remunerated well, so it's probably more likely people will start retiring a bit later. But I think the exciting part is there's always something on the calendar, so it'd be pretty hard to retire at this point," said Mooney.
The evolution of the 50-over game has particularly captured Mooney's attention as she looks ahead. Recent performances by emerging batters Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield, who added 162 runs inside 20 overs in Australia's nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second match of the series, exemplify the modern approach to ODI cricket. Mooney expressed her enthusiasm for the direction the format is heading and what it means for her continued involvement.
"I guess that's what excited me the most, is the fact that the 50-over game is becoming a lot more modern, and we're seeing Phoebe and Georgia really take the game on. Who knows how many runs we might be able to score in a 50-over game one day? That's sort of driving me at the momen," said Mooney.