McGrath relishes captaincy chance against Bangladesh

Tahlia McGrath is looking forward to leading Australia against Bangladesh, and the timing could hardly suit her better. A productive stretch of domestic cricket for South Australia has brought a sense of relief and a belief that her batting is back where she wants it, and she arrives for the three-match ODI series in Brisbane feeling ready for the challenge.

The leadership role comes with Australia missing regular captain Sophie Molineux, who will sit out all three ODIs as she works back from a hip injury. McGrath steps in for the series, which gets underway on Friday, and for a player who has long been part of the leadership group, it is an opportunity she is keen to take.

"Yeah, really looking forward to it," McGrath said.

"I love playing for this side, and I love the opportunity to lead, so I can't wait to get out there and be back as a team again."

The runs for South Australia have given McGrath some momentum going into the series, and she was candid about what they meant to her after a period in which her batting had not clicked.

"To be completely honest, very relieved. Nice to spend a bit of time out in the middle again, nice to score some runs and hopefully this will start a really big summer for me."

McGrath said the turnaround did not need a major overhaul, and pointed to a shift in her mindset rather than her method.

"Yeah, probably just a few minor tweaks. Probably stopped really focusing on my weaknesses and honing back in on what I'm good at."

"Still not totally forgetting about weaknesses but really remembering what makes me play good cricket and focusing on that a bit more."

With a settled batting line-up around her, the question of where McGrath slots in is one for head coach Shelley Nitschke, and she is relaxed about whichever role comes her way.

"It's up to Shell. Look, we've had an unbelievable squad for a while, and that top order is pretty set."

"Hopefully the top order gets a bulk of the runs and whether I just come in and pile on as many as possible, at the end of the day, it's bat v ball, and I'm feeling pretty good with where my batting's at, at the moment and where my cricket's at."

Her bowling is the other part of the equation. Australia's squad is stocked with bowlers, so overs will not come automatically, and McGrath expects the make-up of the attack to shift from game to game.

"We're blessed for options. Whatever squad we go with tomorrow, I reckon there's going to be eight bowling options."

"So it just comes down to what's needed in the moment, match-ups and who's having a great day with the ball. So hopefully, I'll feature at some point with the ball."

Bangladesh are the opposition for the three ODIs at Allan Border Field, and the visitors arrive in Brisbane with an attack that Australia have been preparing for ahead of Friday's opener. McGrath outlined what Bangladesh bring and how the Australians will approach it.

"They've got a really talented line-up and an attack that's different to a lot of other international attacks," she said.

"Marufa (Akter) is all class at the top, her ability to swing the ball and then their spinners are really tricky. Bowl a little bit slower to what we're used to and get a fair bit of turn.

"We've been prepping for that and we expect a really good contest and hopefully we can combat that and produce some really big scores as a batting unit," she concluded.

Australia v Bangladesh ODI series

1st ODI: Friday, October 9, Allan Border Field, Brisbane
2nd ODI: Sunday, October 11, Allan Border Field, Brisbane
3rd ODI: Wednesday, October 14, Allan Border Field, Brisbane