Until she was 16, Tahlia McGrath’s major ambition was to play football for the Matildas, that is, until she realised her greater skills laid with cricket.
When pressures and momentums change within minutes during big games, Tahlia McGrath has shown an immensely valuable quality of remaining calm, stable, and together.
It’s therefore unsurprising that she was named Australian vice-captain in 2022 under Alyssa Healy, within a team that was steadfastly demonstrating a world supremacy. She had previously been appointed captain of South Australia in WBBL07.
When discussing captaincy and leadership, she said, “it has pushed me out of my comfort zone. I’ve grown as a player and person. The more you do it, the better you get. My overall outlook on the game, my communication, my ability to build relationships with team-mates have got way better.”
Blessed with natural talent with bat and ball, Tahlia McGrath was scouted by junior U12 coaches early as a future Australian player. But until she was 16, her major ambition was to play football for the Matildas, until she realised her greater skills laid with cricket.
She debuted for Australia against South Africa in late 2016, but it was not until 2021 the South Australian began to make her mark at the highest level.
The super talented cricketer can bat in the top and middle orders, and she hits the ball hard. A medium pace bowler, she swings the ball, hits the deck hard and can produce clever variation.
Recalled to the squad and handed a national contract for 2021-22, McGrath enjoyed a standout summer for both Australia and the Adelaide Strikers, cementing herself as a key member of the national side.
She played a key role in Australia’s undefeated run to the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medal, claiming eight wickets to be her country’s joint top wicket-taker alongside Strikers teammate Megan Schutt while also averaging 43 with the bat.
In 2024, her cricketing services were purchased by the UP Warriorz in Bengalore in India’s Women’s Premier League, for 14million rupees or $167,000.
