Mooney's Ashes and World Cup in doubt after training blow
Mooney was hit by a ball under the grill of her helmet during training and will undergo immediate surgery, according to Cricket Australia.
The injury all but rules Mooney out of the multi-format Women's Ashes series beginning on Thursday, and the left-hander is also in doubt for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup beginning in March.
Australia take on England in three T20Is, a Test match and three ODIs in the Ashes, before the two teams head to New Zealand for the Cricket World Cup.
Mooney has been a mainstay of Australia's top order across the formats, boasting the top individual ranking in T20I cricket and two centuries in both international limited overs formats.
A replacement for Mooney is yet to be named, though Australia have backup with the Australia 'A' side joining the Ashes squad for series preparation.
While Rachael Haynes seems a likely option to step into Mooney's spot, it also opens the door for a number of other 'A' team members such as Elyse Villani, Georgia Redmayne, Grace Harris and young gun Phoebe Litchfield.
Mooney's injury is not Australia's only issue, with Ellyse Perry's arrival in Adelaide delayed due to a COVID-19 scare. Molly Strano and Katie Mack, two players in the Australia 'A' squad, will also miss action after testing positive for COVID-19.
Australia squad for the Ashes: Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Hannah Darlington, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Meg Lanning (captain), Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck.
**Australia A squad:**Georgia Redmayne (captain), Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Phoebe Litchfield, Katie Mack, Courtney Sippel, Molly Strano, Elyse Villani, Georgia Voll, Amanda-Jade Wellington.