Isolation is showing everyone what they're grateful for: Beth Mooney

Beth Mooney, Australia opening batter and player of the series in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020, said she believes the women's game can pick up from where it left off before the COVID-19 pandemic brought live sport to stop. Following a historic final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which was attended by 86,174 people and also had a huge digital audience, women's cricket hoped to solidify its position as one of the leading sports in the world. However, the worldwide lockdown has forced everyone to push sport to the back of their minds.



With the ICC Men's T20 World Cup scheduled to take place this October, speculation is rife that current travel restrictions in Australia could force the tournament to be postponed to the back end of the 2020-21 season. If that happens, it could then lead to a 'knock-on' effect - forcing the ICC Women's ODI World Cup in New Zealand next year to be pushed back as well. Added to that, the restrictions could also have an effect on the sixth season of  the Women's Big Bash League.



Mooney, however, is optimistic and positive that the Australian public will be keen to watch women's sport when cricket eventually resumes.



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"Isolation is showing everyone what they’re grateful for," Mooney said during a video-conference on Friday (April 25). "Once the restrictions are lifted and we get to do the things we used to ... as a sports fan myself, it’ll probably make me get to live sport more after not being able to do it now, so hopefully the rest of the country does as well."



"We’re professional athletes now, we want to be playing as much cricket as we can and the WBBL is the best domestic competition in the world, so it would be disappointing if it didn’t go ahead as it has done in the past."



"But this is not just cricket that’s being impacted, it’s people’s lives daily, people’s jobs and livelihoods, so if it means we don’t get to play a few games of cricket here and there, we’ve got to look at the bigger picture – there’s more important things in life sometimes."



During the ICC meeting on Thursday (April 23), it was declared that "planning for both events as currently scheduled is ongoing". Contingency plans are also being put in place.



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"You want to be playing as much cricket as you can and a one-day World Cup is one of those things that’s always in your eyeline and your calendar as a cricketer," she added. "(But) there are bigger things at play here, so if it was to get moved I don’t think anyone would be too disappointed if it was because we’re trying to take care of people and communities around us."



Kirby Short (L) and Beth Mooney pose with the WBBL trophy. © Getty Images



"And there’s a bigger picture in cricket of trying to fit everything in, in the male and female programs across the world, so they’ll hopefully keep us in the loop with any updates or any information they have around what that will look like moving forward."



If the WBBL does go ahead as planned, it may have to played without any overseas players since Australia's travel restrictions will still be in place. Over the past five seasons, the WBBL has seen players from England, Ireland, India, New Zealand, Pakistan South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies take part and is thought to be the leading domestic competition in the world.



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Despite a potential lack of 'star power' in the WBBL, Mooney said it would provide the younger Australian players more of an opportunity to take centre stage.



"The really positive thing that’s happening at the moment is currently the AFL and NRL are trying to get up and running," the left-hander said.



"Sport is a huge part of Australian lives. It’s a positive we’re slowly moving towards bringing back elite sport and that would hold us in good stead for a WBBL to happen."



"Of what I’ve seen and read, CA has been collaborating with the government really closely and seeing what options are available (regarding travel). Worst case scenario, we’ll have to keep it as a domestic tournament for this year but I think that’ll provide an opportunity for young players and really show the depth we have in Australian cricket at the moment."