Cricket Australia has announced the new contract list where the total number of CA contracts available rose from 15 to 18 under the new MOU. Phoebe Litchfield, Grace Harris, Kim Garth and Heather Graham have been included in the list with the quartet becoming the beneficiaries of the additional national deals which has been made available under cricket’s new Memorandum of Understanding.
Meanwhile, Tasmanian allrounder Nicola Carey was offered the 18th contract but she declined, while retired former vice-captain Rachael Haynes has not been added to the list as well.
However, Grace Harris earned a contract upgrade in 2022 after becoming a vital cog of Australia’s middle-order in the shortest format following her return to the international stage during the multi-format Ashes in January 2022 as well.
Meanwhile, former Ireland allrounder Garth, teenage batter Litchfield and Tasmania allrounder Heather Graham have also earned Cricket Australia contracts for the first time.
“Grace Harris earned an upgrade last season and subsequently played every match throughout the T20 World Cup, she is a multi-skilled cricketer who can influence matches with both bat and ball,” CA head of performance and national selector Shawn Flegler said.
“Kim Garth and Heather Graham have performed strongly at domestic level over the past 12 months, and both thoroughly deserve their spot on the list. Phoebe Litchfield is a young talent who we believe has a big future, she’s built her game upon a very sound technique and we’re confident she can transfer those skills into international cricket.”
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“Despite missing a large amount of cricket, Tayla Vlaeminck retains her contract which enables us to continue to support her on her return to play following a significant foot injury.”
Nicola Carey, who had been on the Cricket Australia contract list since 2018, has declined the contract offer having already turned down a chance to tour the United Kingdom with Australia A side in June as well.
Although she was with the team since her 2018 debut, she featured in just one T20I on December’s tour of India before carrying the drinks only throughout January’s ODIs against Pakistan and eventually dropped off the T20 World Cup squad too.
“We’re about to embark on a busy 12-month period” – Cricket Australia head of performance and national selector Shawn Flegler
“We’re about to embark on a busy 12-month period, beginning with several training camps next month in Brisbane ahead of a Tour of the UK for Australia and Australia A squads,” Flegler said.
“With that in mind, Nicola Carey expressed a desire to spend the winter in Tasmania to allow her to utilise a full preseason at home, focusing on using that time to develop skills in her game to push for international selection in the future.
We offered Nic a contract because we believe she is a player of international quality, but we respect her decision to focus on a pre-season program with Tasmania and will continue to support her moving forward.”
However, players can be upgraded to a Cricket Australia central contract by being selected in the national side during the year, as Grace Harris was in 2022-23. Notably, players are upgraded when they get 12 points, with women’s players earning four points for a Test match and two each for an ODI and T20I as well.
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It is also noteworthy that, Women’s Cricket was a big winner in the new MOU announced on Monday, with players to be paid from a $133 million pool over the next five years, which is also a massive jump from the $80m as well.
Meanwhile, the top Cricket Australia contracted players’ earnings will peak at more than $800,000 per year by the end of the MOU (including their WBBL contract, match fees and marketing payments), with the possibility for earnings to top the million-dollar mark if they take part in the Women’s Premier League and UK’s The Hundred as well.
Along with this, under the new MOU, each state (and the ACT) will also have two additional contract places to offer from Cricket Australia, which is up to 16 from the current 14 as well.
Cricket Australia Contract List, 2023-24:
Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham
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