'They're a really skilful team' - Australian captain Sophie Molineux wary of Bangladesh

Australia women's captain Sophie Molineux has acknowledged the challenge posed by Bangladesh ahead of their upcoming ODI series. The teams will meet for three matches scheduled for October 9, 11 and 14 in Brisbane. Molineux's comments come after Bangladesh men's team impressive Test performance against Australia earlier in the year.

Bangladesh secured their first Test win in Australia on their third attempt, defeating the hosts by 9 wickets in Darwin during August 13-16, 2026. The result demonstrated the progress Bangladesh women's cricket has made on the international stage. Molineux reflected on the significance of that Test series and what it means for the upcoming ODI contests.

"I think that's just sport, right? Anything can happen on any given day, and that's probably just a nice reminder to everyone that that's what sport brings. It was great to see and I suppose that series being a really tightly contested one, with a lot of eyeballs watching both in Australia and Bangladesh. So yeah, I'm sure there will be no different in terms of our series and it being tightly contested here," said Molineux as quoted by Cricbuzz.

"Bangladesh create different challenges for us. It just shows you how further the women’s game is going to be able to have Bangladesh here and playing in our home conditions. It is going to be a really exciting series for both of us, I think, and hopefully the crowds will come out and it’s going to be a good contest," she added.

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Preparing for Bangladesh's bowling attack

Molineux identified Bangladesh's bowling attack as a key area where Australia would need to adjust their approach. The Australian captain recognised that Bangladesh's pace bowlers operate differently from opponents Australia typically face, while their spin options present additional tactical challenges.

"I think there’s probably a lot of things that we’re going to have to cover. They’re a really skilful team. I think from a bowling point of view, there is a lot of pace off," Molineux said.

"I know that we’re probably a little bit more used to the pace coming on the ball, but they’ve got some quality spinners in their team that we’re going to have to do our work on and make sure we’re prepared for. They’re very skilful as well. I think we’ll have to bowl very well to them," he added.

Australia has faced Bangladesh multiple times in recent years, providing valuable experience for the upcoming series. However, Molineux acknowledged that playing in Australian conditions would present a different proposition for both teams, requiring careful preparation and tactical adjustments. she singled out pacer Marufa Akter as the Aussies will look to prepare for.

"She’s very skilful and again we’ll have to do our homework. We’ve played against them a little bit over the last two or three years, so we’ve got a lot of learnings from that. But yeah, at the same time, playing them in our conditions will be a bit different and we’ll have to adjust accordingly," Molineux concluded.