Over the past 12 months, Jess Jonassen has won the Ashes, the Cricket World Cup trophy and a historic Commonwealth Games gold medal.

But it doesn't matter how many achievements the Australian allrounder ticks off on the field, she won't be able to fill the void in her heart.

See, Jonassen lost her father Ray to cancer in February 2021, and a year or so on, she's still learning how to celebrate the big moments without him.

Ray and cricket had always been a constant in her life, they were a package deal, and now that one exists without the other, it doesn't quite feel the same.

"Dad was one of my biggest supporters… harshest critic, but biggest supporters," Jonassen told the ABC.

"When I was a kid, we'd spend probably three hours playing cricket in the middle of the summer in Rockhampton where it was upwards of 40 degrees, and not once did he complain.

"That was just what we did together and I owe him a lot."

Now he's gone, the world No.2 ranked ODI bowler is dealing with grief as a "daily thing" and relying on the support of her family to get through.

"There's always going to be some sort of void there because Dad was such a significant part of my life and played a huge role in my career ... if ever I'm in a game and I play an awful shot, I'll think to myself: 'Oh gosh, I know exactly what Dad would be saying here'.

"But one thing that particularly my Mum and my sisters are really good at, is that we talk openly about it and recognise when we're struggling … it helps to know that we still have people here that love us and that his memory can live on."

World Cup memories

Earlier this year, on the anniversary of his death, Jonassen jetted off to New Zealand to prepare for the Women's Cricket World Cup – an event the Australian women's team had been building towards for almost five years.

They'd bowed out of the same tournament in 2017 against India with much disappointment and it had been a huge turning point for the group.

From then on, they'd win two T20 World Cups, retain the Ashes three times and set a new record in men's and women's international cricket with a 26-match ODI winning streak.

But the World Cup trophy was the real catalyst spurring them on, and although Jonassen knew how hard they'd worked to get there, she was devastated to be leaving the country.

"A few of the players knew and some gave me a hug, others kept their distance, and then once we arrived we went straight into quarantine.

"I didn't mind it though because I just wanted to be alone and reflect … I played some songs that reminded me of him, put my sunnies on, looked out the window and just let it all out."

There were periods throughout the tournament where Jonassen struggled mentally, but the plane ride home with the trophy in hand was an entirely different experience.

"My emotions going over and then coming back was like one extreme to the next," she said.

"There were down times in between, which I now accept is probably going to be a lifelong thing, but he definitely made an appearance or two over there."

Although Ray may have missed her latest World Cup victory, Jonassen takes comfort in the fact he was present for perhaps the biggest night of her career.