The announcement of Sophie Molineux as the next long-term captain of Australia came as a surprise. Molineux, now 28, has been a leader ever since entering the Australian team as a 20-year-old. Molineux did not play Test or T20I cricket in 2025 and had to be managed through the ODI World Cup on return from injury. "I probably didn't give myself much of a chance at the start to be honest," Molineux said. "I'm going to do everything I can to play every game of cricket for my country and lead the group," Molineux said.