St. Vincent, March 18 (IANS) Australia skipper Sophie Molineux has confirmed she is fit and eager to return to action ahead of the team’s upcoming white-ball tour of the Caribbean against the West Indies, but the exact nature of her involvement has yet to be confirmed as she continues to manage a back injury.

The all-rounder had been sidelined recently due to a back injury, which forced her to miss the latter part of Australia’s ODI series at home against India. However, she is now nearing full fitness and is expected to feature in the three-match T20I series starting this week.

With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England just under three months away, Molineux shared an encouraging update on her recovery while speaking to the media in St Vincent. But, she did not clarify what role she would play beyond her availability, saying she would be assessed across the six-game white-ball tour.

“I’m looking forward to playing a role and getting back out there … (we’ll) see how we go, especially towards that back end with the one-dayers, we’ll just keep assessing. I’m looking forward to getting back out there again with the girls, it was hard to watch that Test, especially not being a part of Alyssa Healy’s last game for Australia.

“To be able to get my feet in behind the desk and lead the group, I’m looking forward to making the most of those opportunities, and especially just getting away and jumping on a plane together and connecting as a group again after what’s been a big few months in Australia,” Molineux told reporters.

Although she is set to participate in the T20Is, it remains uncertain whether she will play all six matches on the tour. The left-arm spinner indicated she could sit out the subsequent ODI fixtures to carefully manage her workload and ensure she is fully prepared for the World Cup.

There is also some uncertainty about her bowling readiness, even though she has already resumed batting and fielding during training sessions.

Australia’s tour of the West Indies represents their final international assignment before the T20 World Cup, making it a crucial phase of preparation. Molineux emphasised the importance of maximising this opportunity to build momentum and strengthen team cohesion.

“It’s an important series for all of us as we haven’t got a whole lot of games before that T20 World Cup. Each game we have together is really important and make sure we’re building towards that. And I suppose to be able to get my feet in behind the desk and lead the group.

“I’m looking forward to making the most of those opportunities and especially just getting away and jumping on a plane together and connecting as a group again after what’s been a few months in Australia. It’s going to be really good for us,” Molineux added.

–IANS

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