Beth Mooney credits her switch to Western Australia as breathing new life into her career, and she hopes there will be many more women's Test matches to come at the WACA.
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Mooney is set to open the batting for Australia in the four-day Test against South Africa starting Tuesday.
The 30-year-old first burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old with Queensland, and her star grew even bigger after helping the Brisbane Heat win back-to-back WBBL titles.
She made a shock move to the Perth Scorchers in 2020, and two years later officially joined the WA Cricket set-up full-time.
It's a move she doesn't regret.
"It was a really exciting opportunity for me to work with some young players and feel a bit more valued in the environment," Mooney said on Tuesday.
"It's been a breath of fresh air playing for the Scorchers and WA. It's probably breathed a bit of life back into my cricket.
"I'm enjoying it a lot more and I feel like I can still get better in this program.
"We were playing a game on the east coast a few weeks ago and they announced me as the girl from the west.
"I don't quite have a postcode in WA as my address just yet, but I am very proud player for Western Australia."
Extreme heat is set to greet Australia and South Africa for this week's Test.
Perth is forecast to reach 42C on Thursday, before posting temperatures of 31, 36 and 40 across the following three days.
Mooney has played six Tests for an average of 34 and a high score of 85.
The classy left-hander would love to see more Test matches scheduled for women's cricket - especially at the WACA.
"I think the WACA is one of the best grounds in the world," Mooney said.
"Hopefully next year during the Ashes we can get back here and get a game at the WACA as well.
"I think the baggy green is still the dream for young kids out there, whether you're male or female. So when you get your hands on one, it's really special.
"And you know, I think the right format for us moving forward is this multi-format series where we fit a Test match in among some white ball games as well."
Australia defeated South Africa 2-1 in both the ODI and T20 series.
It means the tourists must win the Test to draw the overall series while a draw is enough for Australia to be crowned series winner.
Australian Associated Press
