Molineux will officially take charge of Australia at the SCG on Sunday night against India, expecting a surreal feeling when she tosses the coin for the first of three T20s in the multi-format series.
Molineux’s appointment comes at an interesting time with Australia having been beaten in the semi-finals of both the T20 and ODI World Cups in the past two years.
When Australia were last left without a global trophy in their cabinet in 2017, a heavy emphasis was put on back-up plans and more change-ups in bowlers.
A wave of new talent also emerged with Molineux among those debuting in the 18 months after the side’s ODI World Cup defeat in England. This time though mass changes are unlikely with the team having proclaimed a more fearless approach in the past year already.
The schedule also does not allow Australia to have a widespread team meeting about the ODI World Cup defeat, with this the first cricket since the loss to eventual champions and this summer’s rivals India.
“We’ve sat on it for three or four months and reflected individually and had those conversations,” Molineux said. “I don’t think it’s big changes, I don’t think any of us think that it’s that. It’s probably really small things that you have to keep evolving as the game does around you.
“Those two losses are probably our only two losses in the last couple of years. There’s definitely some learnings from those games, but we’re in a really lucky [position] we’ve got generational talent at both ends of their careers.
“It’s about bringing that all together and fine-tuning the way we want to play.”
Having been managed through the ODI World Cup on return from an ACL rupture, Molineux is confident she can get through this series unchanged with her knee feeling good.
The first assignment for the Molineux-era Australia is the T20 format. Healy has been left out of the squad with just six T20Is scheduled between now and a World Cup in the format in England in June.
“We’ve had mixed success, we’ve had a lot of highs, a lot of lows and I think personally as well my journey’s been like that as well,” Molineux said. “It’s about being as calm and consistent and always showing up the same way as a leader.
“The [T20] game can change so quickly. But having that experience, you can feel confident that you’ve got your plans and your tactics in place.”