Australia Women captain Sophie Molineuxcould feature as a batter only, as the team looks to manage her workload during the upcoming tour of the West Indies. After captaining Australia in the three T20Is against India last month, following Alyssa Healy’s return from retirement for the ODI and Test formats, Molineux has now officially taken over as full-time captain.

The 28-year-old is expected to play all three T20Is in St Vincent after returning from a lower-back injury, while her participation in the three ODIs in St Kitts will be reassessed. Australia have left open the option for Molineux to play solely as a batter on this tour, mindful of her long injury history and the upcoming T20 World Cup in three months.

"It's probably to see how we go. Especially towards the back end with the one-dayers. We'll just keep assessing. I am looking forward to being back out there with the girls. It was hard to watch that Test, especially not being part of Midge [Healy]'s last game for Australia. It will be great to get back out there again,” said Molineux as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Not bowling would mark a significant change for Molineux, who broke into the national team with her spin in 2018 and has bowled in every international match she has played since.

However, Australia are keen to have her around the group, with this tour being the first time the squad is truly under her leadership following Healy’s retirement at the end of the home multi-format series against India.

"It's an important series for all of us. 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 are building towards that. To be able to get my feet under the desk and lead the group, I am really looking forward to the opportunity,” said Molineux.

If Molineux does not feature in the ODIs, Tahlia McGrathis included in the squad alongside fellow vice-captain Ashleigh Gardner.

Australia will also play warm-up matches against South Africa ahead of the T20 World Cup in England, a tournament seen as crucial for the squad.

The side has not won a T20 or ODI World Cup trophy in nearly a decade, having been eliminated at the semi-final stage in both of the last two tournaments. They were also beaten 2-1 at home by India in the T20s last month, but the team insists they are not far off the pace.

"It's very hard in T20 cricket to play the perfect game.

It's just being better for longer and realising those moments that can go either way and winning those. It's just backing our [attacking] style of play and being conscious of that,” said Molineux.