Heavyweights Australia eye return to the summit

The term 'new era' gets thrown around loosely in sport, but it might be the perfect way to describe where this Australian white-ball team sits. Without a world title to defend for the first time in nearly a decade, the formerly all-conquering Aussies go into this tournament with a different kind of pressure.

They need silverware again. They won three T20 world titles on the trot, so even a two-year gap feels like an eternity. They still maintain a core of players who made them the yardstick of women's white-ball cricket, but there's a fresh feel with new captain Sophie Molineux after Alyssa Healy's retirement.

On paper, Australia should start favourites even if other teams have caught up. They'll look at their challenging group, including India and South Africa, as extra motivation to remind everyone why they might still be the team to beat.

Squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ash Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Kim Garth, Nicola Carey, Grace Harris, Lucy Hamilton, Phoebe Litchfield, Alana King, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

Best XI: Georgia Voll, Beth Mooney (wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Tahlia McGrath, Ash Gardner, Sophie Molineux (c), Alana King/Georgia Wareham, Megan Schutt, Kim Garth

Players to keep an eye on:

• Annabel Sutherland: The most complete women's cricketer in the world, but yet to take T20 by storm. The stage is set.
• Georgia Voll: Australia's strength was a dominant opening partnership, and Voll has seized her full-time role, powering to the top of T20 batting rankings.

What's in the news: Sophie Molineux has overcome her back injury just in time to offer full services with bat and ball as she leads Australia in a World Cup for the first time. She returned to bowling this past week, sending down six overs in warmup matches.

Where they finished in 2024: Lost to South Africa in the semifinal

How have they performed since: Australia have won 10 of 12 games since that semifinal, but lost a T20 series to India on home soil earlier this year.

The big game: Their final league game against India on June 28, given recent World Cup battles, could decide which team progresses to the knockouts.

A record in sight: Megan Schutt is two wickets from becoming the first bowler to 50 scalps in Women's T20 World Cups. Molineux (45) and Sutherland (44) eye 50 T20I wickets.

Realistic expectation: To win their seventh T20 World Cup and regain status as the best in the world.