Annabel Sutherland has been backed to take on a finishing role at the 2026 T20 World Cup with Australia coach Shelley Nitschke believing her versatility will stand her in good stead.
Australia will prepare for the World Cup - where, for the first time since 2018, they won't be defending champions - with three practice matches against South Africa in Arundel from Sunday followed by two further warm-up games involving England and West Indies before their tournament-opener, also against South Africa, on June 13.
Nitschke said they were "close" to knowing their best XI, although conditions during the tournament may require flexibility. Sutherland, who was rested from the recent tour of West Indies, is in no doubt for the side - with the ball she has had a considerable impact in T20Is - but her role with the bat has prompted debate.
Sutherland has only batted 23 times in 48 T20Is with the majority of those innings coming at No.s 7 and 8 (one of her most impactful displays came on debut in 2020 against England when her 22 off 11 balls forced a Super Over). In her last T20I series against India in February, she batted below the recalled Nicola Carey at the SCG in what was explained as a match-up scenario with Carey being a left hander.
In ODIs and Tests, Sutherland has been able to move higher up the order with outstanding results but opportunity has remained scarce in T20Is, although she briefly went to No. 5 in 2025. Domestically with Melbourne Stars she has gone up the order and last season struck at 122.53 but her career figure in the tournament is 106.50.
"I think it's a tricky one for Bells," Nitschke told reporters. "Domestically she bats quite high up the order but has sort of found herself in that middle order finishing role for us, and I think she certainly can take that role on. She has shown that she can make runs up top but she's also showed that she's got some tricks and a 360 [degree] game to play that middle to finishing role as well.
"I actually think she's really versatile and she's probably on the cusp of really, I think, blowing her T20 game open. I think domestically she's been really successful at different times, probably for us hasn't quite had that same success, but I expect to see her having an impact with both bat and ball throughout this tournament."
Sutherland, who secured back-to-back Belinda Clark Awards earlier this year, opted out of the WPL in January prior to the India series before missing the West Indies tour. Her last competitive innings was the 129 she made in the Test against India at the WACA in early March.
"I think it's obviously tough when your team-mates are playing and I absolutely love playing for and representing Australia, so I missed that - but I knew it was the right call for me, to be honest," Sutherland told cricket.com.au in a recent interview. "Physically, mentally, just to refresh and prioritise what I needed to make sure that I'm raring to go for when it matters most - which is this T20 World Cup."
Australia, as a whole, have had precious few T20Is in the past year with just six matches since last March during which time Sophie Molineux, who played as a batter only in West Indies, has taken over as captain from Alyssa Healy.
"The next few games against South Africa for us is about getting back out there," Nitschke said. "We've obviously come off a bit of a break, just been doing some training, so now it's about getting back out there, getting some match practice, but making sure that we're playing a really good, strong brand of cricket and exciting brand of cricket that we want to. Really using these games to get ourselves back into the momentum of playing matches and getting into the contest."
Nitschke expected Molineux, who has been recovering from a back injury, to be fully available as a bowler during the five warm-up matches although said that given the amount of options Australia have with the ball, and a desire to get everyone some playing time, that she may not be used in every game before the World Cup.
With an eye on their opening match against South Africa, Nitschke added that close attention was being kept on the current T20 Blast matches taking place at Old Trafford to get a gauge on conditions.
Meanwhile, Phoebe Litchfield is putting in extra work on her wicketkeeping at training in case Beth Mooney suffers a last-minute or in-game injury. Whereas Mooney provided an understudy for Healy for a long time, Australia now do not have a second specialist keeper in their 15-player squad with New South Wales' Tahlia Wilson only a traveling reserve.
"She's trying to find some opportunities to get a bit more work in with the gloves to make sure, that if that happens, she can certainly fill a void for us there," Nitschke said.
It has yet to be decided whether Litchfield will be given the keeping role in a full match situation during Australia's warm-up games.