Beth Mooney: The making of Australia's crisis champion

"Moons would much rather prefer the company of dogs than humans."

Andy Richards, now retired in Brisbane, has thrown more balls at Beth Mooney than any other player over his coaching career. He's known her since she was 11 at Harvey Bay Cricket Club, coaching her through Queensland, Brisbane Heat and Australia A.

Mooney is extremely reserved and private, within a tight-knit group of friends including Richards' daughter Keeley. But he's certain about one thing – she's fuelled by inner determination.

In June 2015, as a 21-year-old on the verge of breaking into the Australian team, newly-appointed head coach Matthew Mott told her she needed to get fitter for a long career. "That stung her," Richards says. "She bought a push bike and rode it everywhere. She spent hours getting fitter. At that stage she decided she wanted to play at the top level."

So it's no surprise she kept wickets against Pakistan despite twice dislocating her finger – just a match after back issues forced her to retire hurt. "She's tough and she's done that a lot for us over the years," skipper Sophie Molineux said.

In 2022, Mooney fractured her jaw during training. Ten days after surgery, she returned for the Ashes Test. She likes to bail her team out of crisis, not be the reason for one.

During last year's 50-over World Cup, she rescued the team after they were reduced to 76 for 7, taking them past 200 batting with the tail.

Mooney's gameplay is disciplined, meticulous, and ever-evolving. She's strong through the offside and with the pull, uses her feet well, has developed ramp and lap shots, and is quick between wickets – all with low risk. Richards calls it an 'obsession to do well'.

"From an early stage, she always wanted to be a 360-degree batter. She was predominantly a back-foot player against men who bounced her. When she moved to women's cricket, she worked hard on stepping through the ball on the on-side."

After Mott's feedback in 2015, she levelled up beyond just fitness. "She realised what she'd been working on wasn't working," Richards says. "Over 7-8 years in Queensland, there was time to work on it."

Richards admits much of her current version comes from international experience. "She's got a great cricket brain. She knew what to do in games and where to be – whether on the football field or any sport. It allowed her to become aware of her own game quicker."

This explains why Mooney drags her team out of tricky situations with calmness. "She calculates where she needs to be, particularly in T20s. Mott liked batting her at five or six because she was his banker when things went wrong. She'll bat through to the 17-18 over mark and get them home. She gets into a zone: 'This is what I need to do, those are my gaps.' The self-awareness is as good as I've seen."

Richards believes her wicketkeeping hasn't been fully explored. "She was always an athlete. Her glove work has been magnificent from an early age. She's coachable."

Once, frustrated at her not getting keeping chances for Australia, he joked to selectors: "If I offered to change her second name to Gilchrist, would that make a difference?" They saw the funny side. "For me, she should have been the Australian keeper a long time ago. Her hands are as good as any in the game."

Richards once promised her at Allan Border Fields that if she worked hard, she'd play for Australia. She's now played over a decade, winning multiple World Cups, a Commonwealth Games gold, and scoring over 7000 international runs.

For all her sharpness, she hasn't been seen as a leader in the Australian setup. Richards believes it could be her introversion and honest communication style. "Moons is sometimes too honest. That forthright nature doesn't always work from a captaincy point of view."

Are juniors scared of her? "I don't think so. Once they come into the environment, no one says they're scared. She's self-critical and self-reflective. If Moons is having a bad day, just stay out of the road."

"You always get an honest answer from Beth. Sometimes you like it, sometimes not. It makes for an easy coach-player relationship. Some teammates struggle with that honesty, but when she's honest you know where you stand."

"Captaincy is tricky. Just because you're the best player doesn't make you the best captain. Moons isn't interested in off-field duties. That's not her make-up. But she's a great resource at the other end and a fabulous lieutenant behind the stumps."

Richards doesn't meet Mooney often now. The last time was during the WBBL season. He wants to discuss 'life after cricket' with her. It irks him that her achievements have flown under the radar, but he's happy she's in a good space. "There's a good heart in Moons. It just takes a while to find it."