Here is the transcript of Sophie Molineux’s press conference before the match vs India

[Reporter:]

First training session at Lord’s, how does it feel to be at a ground that is so prestigious?

[Sophie Molineux:]

Yes, it was really good. It was good. We also had a few days off, so everyone was super excited to get out here and run around. The sun was out, nice and warm, so it was nice to get out. We did some fielding and then went back and got some skills. So yes, it was a big session and I think the girls got a lot out of it.

[Reporter:]

I saw Phoebe training today. Is she fully fit and looking good for Sunday?

[Sophie Molineux:]

Yes, she is looking good. She’s fully trained today, kind of moving forward and has been quite good over the last week or so. So yes, she’ll be good, which is exciting for us.

[Reporter:]

I’m pretty sure I saw Beth there too. How did she recover after those chaos last night?

[Sophie Molineux:]

She said it felt really good. It doesn’t look blown out or anything, which is a miracle. And she’s tough, so she’ll be good to go on Sunday and beyond. But yes, I don’t envy her that she got out twice in the same game, and she stayed. But yes, he is tough and has done a lot for us over the years, and this is no different.

[Reporter:]

Sunday will be do or die for India. How good a test will this be for you guys when perhaps you haven’t faced a lot of pressure in your last few matches?

[Sophie Molineux:]

Yes, I think we are in a slightly different situation than India. We still have to win and make sure we finish where we want to be. And yes, we know there’s a little bit of pressure on them, and I think hopefully we can double down on it and put pressure on them early in the game. But yes, the games against India are always, always good, always intense, but it is a sell-out crowd, so we know it will be a big occasion and we are very looking forward to it.

[Reporter:]

Your first World Cup as captain – now we are heading into the tough times – how much have you enjoyed it so far, but how much are you looking forward to this next round too?

[Sophie Molineux:]

Yes, I liked it very much. It’s definitely a little different from my last World Cup. Maybe there’s a little more responsibility and things to do, but at the same time, I’ve really loved it. I believe in the World Cup you ride waves and we have been really good and consistent as a group over the last few months. So yes, looking forward to next week. This is what we work hard for and I feel like as a group we are in a really good place and moving forward.

[Reporter:]

I think we saw some clips on social media of you in lycra during stretching sessions and things like that, I think, to keep the humor up, keep up the morale. How important is that in terms of what you want to establish in terms of your captaincy, to try and really make sure the morale remains high in this group?

[Sophie Molineux:]

You can’t get away from anything these days, but I think we’ve done a bit of bus travelling, it’s taken a bit of time to get from one place to another and I think there’s two ways to look at it. For one thing, it’s a hassle. Or two, this is a great opportunity to get on the bus and connect with each other, review and preview games. And then I think the other side of it is just making sure we stay excited. And I think that’s probably a big part, my leadership is to make sure the group is in a good place. And I believe that when the time is right – I don’t get it right all the time, but sometimes when you feel the group needs a little something, I’m happy to do that. I think there are some other characters in the group who will do this next time. Well, I’m hoping so anyway. But yeah, no, it was a bit of fun. I enjoy that stuff too.

[Reporter:]

In terms of your own experience of being around this team, when it’s won the World Cup, when it hasn’t won the World Cup, what do you think about in terms of next week and if you have to go all the way? Is the main thing that you want this team to be controlled in a way to make sure that your focus doesn’t go too far from the semi-finals to the final or anything like that?

[Sophie Molineux:]

Yes, this is a big deal. It’s literally an attempt to live in the moment and be as present as possible. It’s very easy to do that in a tournament or a World Cup when there are so many expectations, attention, pressure or whatever comes with it to get ahead. But you can’t do that in the World Cup. There is something in every game. And I think, yes, we – Shelley and I said that at the beginning of the tournament to make sure that we enjoy the whole journey of the World Cup. And whether it’s a bus ride or a training session or mobility or just a team meeting or some dinner together or something like that, make sure we’re really in the moment and enjoying it. And you can really feel the group taking it on board. And it’s been a really enjoyable tour so far. And we know this week could be really special too. So I think what we can control is either today’s training session or the next ball when we are playing. It’s a big focus for us not to get too carried away.

[Reporter:]

As captain, obviously, the hope is, as long as Phoebe has done everything, if she comes back into selection contention, it will mean someone has to be out. In terms of those players, how much do you want to say about whether it’s a bowling option because someone who likes to rotate your bowlers a lot, someone who is maybe a bit of a lower order batsman, what’s kind of your priority as captain in terms of trying to get Phoebe back into the team?

[Sophie Molineux:]

Yes, obviously Phoebe will take the top spot and there will be someone who will be really unfortunate to have to drop out. Who, I’m not even sure. We might have to keep watching this pitch. It’s a bit sunny at the moment so we’ll probably have to look at that and the beauty of our team is the depth that we’ve got and we’ll have to utilize that at different points in this tour and yes, how it’s shaping up for Sunday, we’re not quite sure yet.

[Reporter:]

How long are you willing to leave that call? Obviously South Africa and Bangladesh play in the morning. Can you wait and see how that game plays out?

[Sophie Molineux:]

Yes, we could. Not sure whether we will do it this time or not, but we did it against South Africa in the first game. We named 12 – or decided it internally – in the morning before watching the game unfold in front of us. But yes, not sure whether we will do it this time or not, but yes, we have done it before too, so if we had to, we would probably take that route as well.

[Reporter:]

I think these are back-to-back games where Australia have scored the two highest scores in the T20 World Cup. How important are those power plays in terms of giving the team the right start and making sure you can go on and score big?

[Sophie Molineux:]

Yeah, it shows what we want to do as a team and how we want to play. Our batting line-up is full of explosiveness and there are players who are naturally really good run scorers and will do so at a high rate. So I believe unlocking that and making girls feel like they can be free in the power play and beyond is just what it takes. And I believe it has been really enjoyable to see everyone score some runs in the different games that we have played. So it’s good that everyone has spent some time in the middle during the tournament, and hopefully it will put our top order and middle order in good shape over the next little while.

[Reporter:]

And I know that the team, everyone in that 11 is confident that you guys will essentially bat at number 11. How much of that comes into thinking when it’s in the middle overs, taking a few more risks, knowing that OK, we’ve got players in the shed who can still have an impact on the game that maybe taking a slightly more aggressive approach than other teams?

[Sophie Molineux:]

Yes, I think that’s probably naturally the case. And a big part of this group is that we all trust each other, we all support each other, whether it’s with the bat or the ball. I think it’s a good level of trust and support, so I think that kind of helps as well.