Kim Garth is boosting her chances of a maiden T20 World Cup game in Aussie colours after a strong start to 2026 with the ball
If Kim Garth takes the new ball in Australia’s opening T20 World Cup match against South Africa in Manchester on Saturday, it will mark a significant – and somewhat surprising – milestone in the Irish-turned-Australian quick’s career.
Garth did her hopes of seeing her name on that team sheet no harm on Monday, starring in Australia’s five-wicket warm-up win over England in Cardiff, taking 1-19 from three overs.
That included the key scalp of opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge with her third delivery, while Garth then allowed just five runs off the 18th over against the run of play as Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson accelerated.
Since debuting in the green and gold in December 2022, Garth has cemented herself as a key member of Australia’s one-day attack but has only more recently flourished into a regular fixture in the T20I side.
It means that despite being part of Australia’s squads in 2023 and 2024, she has yet to play a T20I World Cup match for her adopted team.
But a standout Weber WBBL|11 campaign for the Melbourne Stars proved the impetus Garth needed to demand more regular opportunities in the shortest format at international level, as the 30-year-old transformed herself from a Powerplay specialist into a better equipped bowler across all phases.
Having played just 10 out of 42 T20Is between late 2022 and the end of 2025, Garth has featured in five out of six T20Is in 2026 to be Australia’s best performing quick across that brief span, taking four wickets and maintaining an economy rate of 5.93.
“It’s probably a confidence thing – a bit more regular playing time in this (Australian) team, which is obviously so hard to break into and stay in,” Garth said following Monday’s warm-up win over England.
“I think I’ve (gained) a lot of confidence and probably a lot of that has come from the Big Bash, to be fair.
“Then I played those T20s against India at home (in February) – I played a role there with the new ball, but also the death stuff, which I have been working on a lot over the kind of the past 12 to 18 months.
“As much as I love taking the new ball, having a bit more opportunity with the older ball as well has been really pleasing, and it was nice to bowl an important over at the back end there (today).”
Garth was named in the WBBL|11 team of the tournament after taking 14 wickets at 16.5 for the Stars, including her devastating new-ball burst of 4-3 against Sydney Sixers at North Sydney Oval.
Looking back on that campaign, however, Garth said it was the opportunity to bowl across other phases – notably in the Power Surge, where Powerplay fielding restrictions apply to a two-over period between overs 10-20 – that had yielded the biggest rewards.
“I think the Power Surge in the Big Bash has given me a lot of clarity with that death role,” Garth said.
“I haven’t done a lot of death stuff in this (Australian) team, so having the Surge in the Big Bash when there’s set batters, and you can only have two (fielders) out, you’ve just got to be really clear at the top of your mark.
“I think that certainly helped coming into this team and playing a similar role.”
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026
Australia squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham. Travelling reserve: Tahlia Wilson
ICC World Cup warm-up matches
June 9: Australia beat England by five wickets
June 11: v West Indies, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, 12am AEST
Australia’s Group 1 fixtures
June 13: v South Africa, Old Trafford, Manchester, 11:30pm AEST
June 17: v Bangladesh, Headingley, Leeds, 7:30pm AEST
June 20: v Netherlands, Rose Bowl, Hampshire, 7:30pm AEST
June 24: v Pakistan, Headingley, Leeds, 3:30am AEST
June 28: v India, Lord’s, London, 11:30pm AEST
Semi-final 1: The Oval, London, June 30, 11:30pm AEST
Semi-final 2: The Oval, London, July 2 (3:30am July 3 AEST)
Final: Lord’s, London, July 5, 11:30pm AEST
Click here for the full tournament schedule
All matches will be broadcast on Amazon’s Prime Video
