National selectors make three changes to Australia’s women’s contract list for 2026-27
Rising quicks Lucy Hamilton and Chloe Ainsworth have been awarded national women’s contracts for the 2026-27 season, as Australia bolster their pace-bowling depth ahead of a run of major T20 tournaments.
Cricket Australia today announced an 18-player list that has seen three additions from the previous year, with Tasmania allrounder Nicola Carey also returning to a national contract.
Australia’s contracted women’s players 2026-27: Chloe Ainsworth, Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
Hamilton has earnt her first national deal after making her debut across all formats in the space of just 23 days in March.
The 19-year-old left-arm quick, who captained Australia Under-19s at the 2025 World Cup, made her first senior appearance in the green and gold in the third ODI against India in Hobart, and just days later was presented with her Baggy Green at the WACA Ground.
A T20I debut against West Indies followed in St Vincent later in the month.
WA right-armer Ainsworth, 20, hasn’t yet been named in a senior Australia squad, but has been touted as a future international player since she burst onto the scene for Perth Scorchers in 2023.
Across her first three WBBL seasons, Ainsworth has taken 40 wickets at 22.30, with an economy rate of 6.96, and twice been included in the Team of the Tournament.
Carey meanwhile earnt an upgrade to a national deal after making her return to the Australian side during January’s multi-format series against India and has now been locked in for the coming 12-month period.
The 32-year-old turned down a national contract in 2023 to instead focus on spending more time training and playing with Tasmania, having spent long periods on the road as a fringe member of the Australian squad in the preceding years.
That decision paid off as she expanded her game, earning opportunities in franchise tournaments in India and England, and ultimately demanding a return to the national side.
Retired Australia captain Alyssa Healy has dropped off the contract list following her Test farewell in Perth last month, while there was no room for Victorians Tess Flintoff and Tayla Vlaeminck.
Allrounder Flintoff was something of a surprise addition to the 2025-26 list, selected as an acknowledgement of her potential having yet to debut at the highest level and with an eye to adding depth to Australia’s pace bowling stocks.
However, the 23-year-old was unable to crack an Australia squad during her 12 months on the contract list.
Vlaeminck hadn’t played at any level since dislocating her shoulder just four balls into her sole appearance at the 2024 T20 World Cup until this morning, making her long-awaited return in this week’s three-day red-ball Green v Gold game.
“While Tayla and Tess aren’t on the list year, we’ll continue to support their development and they are both very much still in contention for selection,” said Shawn Flegler, CA’s head of performance and national selector.
“With a major ICC event and several key series coming up, we’re confident this group has the skill and depth to perform, while also creating opportunities for others to push into the squad across the year.”
Australia’s first assignment of the 2026-27 contract period will be the T20 World Cup in England, where they will be desperate to claim the silverware following shock semi-final losses in the past two ICC tournaments.
That will be the first of four major T20I tournaments in quick succession, with the inaugural women’s T20 Champions Trophy to be staged in Sri Lanka in June 2027, followed by the 2028 LA Olympics and 2028 T20 World Cup in Pakistan.
Following this year’s World Cup, Australia will host Bangladesh in three ODIs and three T20Is across Brisbane and Sydney in October, before a three-game one-day tour of Sri Lanka in December.
Australia will then host New Zealand in three T20Is and three ODIs in February and March, before a multi-format tour of South Africa in March-April.
The MOU between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association states between 15 and 18 female players are eligible to be contracted.
Players not awarded contracts as part of the initial squad of 18 can earn upgrades throughout the year by accruing 12 upgrade points. Players receive five points for a Test match, two for a one-day international and two for a T20 international.
