Molly Penfold

International career

Molly Mae Penfold was born on 15 June 2001. She is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for the Auckland Hearts. She bowls fast and joined the New Zealand national team in 2021.

• April 2021: New Zealand added Molly Penfold to the Women's Twenty20 International squad for the third match against Australia.
• August 2021: Penfold joined New Zealand’s team for the England tour. She replaced Rosemary Mair, who was injured.
• September 21, 2021: Penfold played her first Women's One Day International (WODI) match against England in Leicester.
• September 2021: Jacob Oram said Molly Penfold has strong fast-bowling skills. He said she works hard and wants to learn.
• October 6, 2022: Penfold played her first Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) match against West Indies at North Sound.
• February 2022: Penfold was named as a reserve player in New Zealand’s squad for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup.
• July to December 2023: Penfold played several WT20I matches:
  • July 12 vs Sri Lanka (0 wickets for 28 runs)
  • October 14 vs South Africa (1 wicket for 15 runs)
  • October 15 vs South Africa (2 wickets for 27 runs)
  • December 5 vs Pakistan (2 wickets for 17 runs)
  • December 9 vs Pakistan (0 wickets for 18 runs)
• September 2024: Penfold was selected for New Zealand’s team for the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
• October 2024: Penfold joined the New Zealand squad for the ODI tour to India.
• December 23, 2024: Penfold played her last WODI match against Australia at Wellington.
• September 22, 2024: Penfold played her last WT20I match against Australia at Mackay.
• February 20, 2025: Penfold got a knee injury during the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield tournament. She tore the meniscus in her left knee. She had surgery. Doctors expect her to recover in 8 to 12 weeks. She will miss matches against Sri Lanka and Australia.

Leagues Participation

Molly Penfold has not played in any professional cricket leagues so far.

Domestic career

Molly Penfold plays as a fast bowler for the Auckland Hearts in New Zealand. She was born in London. At age 13, she bowled at 109 km/h, but this speed was measured using a phone app. After that, she decided to focus more on cricket and worked hard to improve her bowling. Penfold played for Auckland in younger age groups. In August 2020, she joined the Auckland Hearts team. Soon after, she was selected to play for New Zealand's national team, the White Ferns.

Records and achievements

Molly Penfold took part in several international cricket tournaments. She played in the T20 World Cup, the Under-19 World Cup, and the Tri-Series in South Africa.

• In 2021, she played her first One Day International (ODI) match on September 21 against England.
• In 2022, she played her first Twenty20 International (T20I) match on October 6 against West Indies.
• In 2023, she played her last ODI match on July 2 against Sri Lanka.
• In 2024, she played her last T20I match on July 11 against England.

According to the ICC rankings in 2024, Molly Penfold was number 478 in batting, number 119 in bowling, and number 201 in the overall rankings.

Personal life

Molly Penfold was born in Kingston Upon Thames, England. She moved with her family to Auckland, New Zealand when she was young. Cricket is very important in her life.

Family

Molly is not married and has no children. Her older sister, Josie, plays cricket for Auckland as well. Molly studied at Baradene College of the Sacred Heart in Auckland.

Finance

Her net worth is between 1 and 5 million US dollars.

Scandals

In February 2025, Molly had a knee injury that stopped her from playing the rest of the season. She tore a meniscus in her left knee while playing in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield. Molly had surgery and will need 8 to 12 weeks to heal. She missed matches against Sri Lanka and Australia because of this.

Fans

Molly has about 18,000 followers on Instagram.