Australia vice-captain Tahlia McGrath has opened up about what she describes as the most testing phase of her career, conceding that confidence has been hard to come by after a disappointing World Cup campaign.
For the first time in eight years, Australia ended a global tournament without lifting either the ODI or T20 World Cup trophy. Their year concluded with a semi-final exit at the ODI World Cup last month, where they were beaten by eventual champions India. Attention now turns to a home multi-format series against India in February, followed by the T20 World Cup in England in June.
McGrath, who has captained Australia on 15 occasions since 2022 while deputising for Alyssa Healy, finds herself at a crossroads. Alongside Ashleigh Gardner, she is widely viewed as a leading candidate to take over the captaincy when Healy steps aside. Yet, that leadership conversation has unfolded against the backdrop of her own struggles on the field.
During the World Cup, McGrath had limited opportunities with bat and ball, finishing with 69 runs at an average of 13.75 — numbers that reflect a tournament that never quite clicked.
“Cricket’s a pretty brutal game and it’s very much driven by confidence,” McGrath said. “When things aren’t going your way, it can feel like the world starts closing in on you. I definitely underperformed and felt the pressure.”
Asked whether this stretch had been the toughest of her career, the 30-year-old didn’t hesitate.
“Probably,” she admitted. “You add captaincy into it, time away from home, and then losing a World Cup — that’s really hard to process. It’s been a challenging period.
“As much as I was giving everything to help get us into finals cricket [in the WBBL], I was really craving a proper break.”
In a move reflecting that need for reset, McGrath chose not to put her name forward for next month’s Women’s Premier League in India. Instead, she opted for time back with South Australia ahead of Australia’s upcoming international commitments.
She has also deliberately stepped away from the bat since the WBBL ended two weeks ago, with 50-over domestic cricket not resuming until next month.
“It’s about genuinely distancing myself right now,” she explained. “There’s no real benefit in picking up a bat at the moment — I wouldn’t get much out of it.
“So it’s walks on the beach, a bit of golf, catching up with friends and family. Just refreshing mentally, getting the energy back, and then putting the work in after Christmas.”
Over the past year, McGrath has been adjusting to new roles — batting at No.7 in ODIs and No.6 in T20Is — which meant she only batted in half of Australia’s World Cup matches. While she remains committed to what the team needs, her long-term ambition hasn’t changed.
“I’m very team-first, and I love being part of the XI and contributing,” she said. “I haven’t quite nailed that No.7 role yet, so that’s something I need to really work on and make my own first.
“Once I can do that consistently, then I’d like to push myself back up the order again.”
For now, McGrath’s focus is on rest, reflection and rebuilding — aware that in a sport as unforgiving as cricket, rediscovering confidence can be just as important as any technical fix.
