Cricket Australia has ushered in a new era for its women”s national team, confirming an 18-player contract list for the 2026-27 season that omits recently retired legend Alyssa Healy and introduces two debutants.
According to a report by ICC today, fast bowlers Chloe Ainsworth and Lucy Hamilton have been awarded their first national contracts, while all-rounder Nicola Carey retains her spot after earning an upgrade during the recent tour of the West Indies.
The revamped roster does not include contracts for fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck or all-rounder Tess Flintoff, who were on the previous season’s list.
Shawn Flegler, Cricket Australia’s Head of Performance for Women’s Cricket, acknowledged the new additions as a “testament to the impact and talent they’ve shown at domestic level.”
Regarding the omissions, Flegler stated, ‘While Tayla and Tess aren’t on the list this year, we’ll continue to support their development and they are both very much still in contention for selection.’
The contracted group faces a demanding upcoming schedule, featuring the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England, home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, and away tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa.
‘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,’ Flegler added.
Australia heads into the new cycle in formidable form, having recently completed T20I and ODI series sweeps against the West Indies. Georgia Voll excelled in Healy”s former opening position during the T20I series, scoring 148 runs and rising to the top of the ICC Women’s T20I Batting Rankings.
The six-time champions, led by Sophie Molineux, will seek to defend their T20 World Cup title from Group 1, which includes India, South Africa, Pakistan, Netherlands and Bangladesh.
The full 2026-27 contract list includes: 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, and Georgia Wareham.