Australian wicket‑keeper‑batter Beth Mooney encountered a light‑hearted incident during the opening T20I against New Zealand at North Sydney Oval on 18 October. While batting in the third over, she briefly paused due to irritation caused by her contact lenses. The situation became comical when teammate Phoebe Litchfield was filmed imitating Mooney’s facial expressions from the dugout.
The scene quickly attracted attention as Litchfield mimicked Mooney’s attempts to adjust her lenses, unaware that the broadcast cameras were recording. Mooney later added to the humor in the dugout while attending to her irritated eyes.
Phoebe Litchfield hilariously mimics Beth Mooney
During the middle of the innings, the broadcast camera turned to the Australian dugout. Litchfield, observing the incident, began imitating Mooney’s facial expressions and movements as she struggled to fix her lenses. The young Australian replicated the actions in near‑perfect synchrony before realizing she was being filmed, providing a brief, light‑hearted interlude.
Back in the dugout, Mooney retrieved a bottle of lubricating eye drops to ease the irritation but mistakenly left the cap on. She repeatedly squeezed the sealed bottle toward her eye before the error became clear.
Here’s the video:
Poor Beth Mooney couldn’t catch a break from her teammates pic.twitter.com/iQoI7DIjOJ
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) October 18, 2026
Ellyse Perry powers Australia to thrilling victory
Beyond the amusement, Australia clinched a two‑wicket win by chasing New Zealand’s total of 163, finishing with seven balls to spare. Ellyse Perry delivered a swift 52 from 30 balls, and Mooney added 38, forming an 86‑run partnership that steadied the chase after an early setback.
New Zealand posted 162/2, anchored by an unbeaten 85 from Georgia Plimmer and 56 not out from Maddy Green, with the duo sharing a 129‑run partnership. Jess Kerr took three wickets, yet Australia’s chase remained on track before the hosts secured a 1‑0 advantage in the series.
