Molly Mae Penfold was born in Kingston Upon Thames in England but moved to Auckland at a young age to start her cricketing journey. She attended Baradene College of the Sacred Heart and quickly developed into a promising right-arm fast bowler. Her talent allowed her to break into the Auckland Hearts domestic team where she plays alongside her older sister Josie. With her natural pace and ability to swing the ball she became a standout performer in domestic cricket and caught the eye of national selectors as a teenager.
Her rapid rise led to her first national call-up in April 2021 when she was added to the New Zealand T20 squad for a match against Australia. Later that year in August, she was selected for the tour of England as an injury replacement and made her official ODI debut against the host nation. Gaining valuable experience at a young age she was then named as a reserve player for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup. Over the next couple of years she continued to refine her bowling skills and became a regular member of the national squad.
By 2024, Penfold had cemented her spot in the national setup and was named in the squad for the T20 World Cup which New Zealand went on to win. Later that year she was selected for an ODI tour to India and produced her career-best bowling figures of four wickets for 42 runs against Australia in December 2024. Unfortunately, early in 2025, she suffered a knee injury while warming up for a domestic match which ruled her out for several months. Despite missing home series against Sri Lanka and Australia she focused on her recovery to regain her full fitness for the future.
Penfold made a triumphant return to international cricket in 2026 and immediately made a massive impact. In March 2026, she played a vital role in the home ODI series against Zimbabwe, taking impressive figures of three wickets for just 17 runs in one of the matches. Her consistent pace and bounce proved that she was back to her absolute best after the long injury layoff. Following her strong performances, she was named in the New Zealand squad for their away tour of England in May 2026, cementing her place as a crucial fast bowler for her country.
