Aussie great Beth Mooney endured a tough match with the bat as Manchester Originals started poorly in the Hundred
Beth Mooney, one of three Australian captains in the women’s Hundred, has endured a miserable launch to her reign at Manchester Originals, failing with the bat before overseeing a comprehensive six-wicket defeat.
At the Originals’ Old Trafford base on Wednesday, the 31-year-old Perth Scorchers wicketkeeper-batter lost the toss against the Southern Brave – and things went quickly downhill after her side were put in to bat.
Opening the batting as ever, Mooney, who’s taken over the captaincy from English international teammate Sophie Ecclestone, had hoped to emulate fellow Aussies Meg Lanning and Grace Harris, whose brilliant batting on Tuesday had lit up the Hundred’s opening day at Lord’s.
Instead, she first had to watch her partner Kathryn Bryce get bowled for a second-ball duck before her own struggles began.
Mooney had managed to eke out just a single from the first five balls she faced before she failed to get on top of a delivery from English allrounder Mady Villiers that got a bit of extra bounce and cut straight into the hands of backward point Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
Her exit was just the start of the collapse as the hosts were quickly reduced to 5-39 off just 41 balls, with Lauren Bell (3-28) and Villiers (2-18) doing most of the early damage.
Only Seren Smale rallied for the Originals, scoring an unbeaten 40 from 34 balls to give Mooney’s side a semblance of hope as they closed on 8-95 off their 100-ball allocation.
Laura Wolvaardt and Wyatt-Hodge put on 48 from 36 deliveries to set the visitors on the road to victory, even though the latter got a beauty and was bowled for 32 by England colleague Ecclestone.
Veteran Kiwi Sophie Devine was dismissed for a duck by Danielle Gregory and Ecclestone caught Freya Kemp off Ameilia Kerr, but Wolvaardt safely steered Southern Brave to a comfortable victory with an unbeaten 42 off 37 balls.
It was a disappointing start for Mooney, who’s been charged with helping restore the fortunes of the Originals as their on-field leader, as their women’s side have yet to ever progress beyond the group stages of the event.
Mooney’s fellow Australian skippers – Ellyse Perry is in charge of the Birmingham Phoenix while Ash Gardner is leading the Trent Rockets – will be hoping to do better when they lead their teams into a duel at Edgbaston on Friday.
Meanwhile in the men’s competition, James Anderson’s much vaunted debut in the Hundred at the age of 43 didn’t go to plan as he proved expensive in the Manchester Originals’ defeat.
England’s all-time leading Test wicket taker was hit for 38 off his wicketless 20-ball stint on Wednesday as the Originals went down to a dramatic one-wicket defeat to Southern Brave on the penultimate ball.
At 43 years and seven days, Anderson became the second-oldest player ever to take part in the 100-ball-a-side competition, behind only South African Imran Tahir, who was 43 years 149 days when he played for Birmingham Phoenix back in 2022.
Anderson, who nominated for but was overlooked in this year’s BBL Draft, bowled the first 10 balls of the innings for 10 runs but former England opener Jason Roy smashed him for four fours and a six off his final 10 balls.
Australians in The Hundred 2025
Birmingham Phoenix: Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Georgia Voll
London Spirit: David Warner, Ashton Turner; Grace Harris, Georgia Redmayne, Charli Knott
Manchester Originals: Beth Mooney
Northern Superchargers: Phoebe Litchfield, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham
Oval Invincibles: Jason Behrendorff; Amanda-Jade Wellington, Meg Lanning
Southern Brave: Hilton Cartwright
Trent Rockets: Marcus Stoinis; Ash Gardner, Alana King, Heather Graham
Welsh Fire: Steve Smith, Riley Meredith, Chris Green; Jess Jonassen
