LEG spinner Alana King is the big winner from today’s announcement of the Women’s Cricket Australia contracts for 2021/22, after having earned her first Cricket Australia contract.
The 15-player squad was announced this morning, with King the only new player in the squad of 15. She replaced Sophie Molineux, who lost her contract after a last 12 months that has been plagued by injury.
The announcement caps off a remarkable few months for King, who after being elevated to the Australian squad for the Ashes at the beginning of the summer has gone on to play every match of both the Ashes and the recent World Cup in New Zealand.
Molineux lost her contract, but fellow injured Victorians Tayla Vlaeminck and Georgia Wareham retained their contracts despite also being on the way back from long term injuries.
Despite winning the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) recently, only one Tasmanian got a contract for next summer, with Nicola Carey keeping her contract from last summer. It means that although Elyse Villani had a stunning summer at home, she did not get a Cricket Australia contact.
It is due to the way the contract system works. The Cricket Australia website describes how the system works best.
“Players can be upgraded to a central contract by being selected in the national side during the year, as King was in 2021-22. “Players are upgraded when they accrue 12 points, with women’s players earning four points for a Test match and two each for an ODI and T20,” the statement said.
The 15 players in the contract list are not the only players that will play for Australia next summer, but are realistically the most likely to.
Of the squad who just won the World Cup in New Zealand, only Grace Harris and Amanda-Jade Wellington missed out on a Cricket Australia contract.
Cricket Australia Women’s contract list, 2022/23:
- Darcie Brown (SA)
- Nicola Carey (Tasmania)
- Ashleigh Gardner (NSW)
- Rachael Haynes (NSW)
- Alyssa Healy (NSW)
- Jess Jonassen (Queensland)
- Alana King (WA)
- Meg Lanning (Victoria)
- Tahlia McGrath (SA)
- Beth Mooney (Queensland)
- Ellyse Perry (Victoria)
- Megan Schutt (SA)
- Annabel Sutherland (Victoria)
- Tayla Vlaeminck (Victoria)
- Georgia Wareham (Victoria)
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