Pathway illuminates journey to Baggy Green

The journey from the backyard to a Baggy Green has never been more clear with the launch of the Australian Cricket Pathway programme.

The Pathway is Cricket Australia's newest strategy that aims to provide clarity around pathways for players, coaches and umpires from grass roots to elite level, with a strong focus on talent identification and development.

Other initiatives already underway to help further define the pathway include CA and School Sport Australia partnering to host the 15 & Under championships annually in Darwin, with the number of teams increasing to 10 in 2016.

This year an Australian U16 team was selected from the Darwin championships that included Austin Waugh, the son of Baggy Green legend Steve Waugh. They will play in the National Under-17 championships against the state teams in Brisbane later this year as well as play international cricket against a Pakistan U16 team in November in Bowral.

Quick Single: Waugh earns spot in Australia U16 squad

In order to identify and stretch the best young talent, a CA XI will be picked from the U17 championships that will play in the National Under-19 titles.

There will also be two additional teams in the U17 and U19 championships – one a second team from Victoria and a CA XI made up of the 'best of the rest' mirroring the governing body's approach in this year's Matador Cup competition.

The seventh Matador Cup team is part of the Pathway programme while thee is also an expansion of the Toyota Futures League 2nd XI competition.

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The Australia U16 team that will play in the U17 National Championships

For women's cricket, CA XI teams will play in the female U15 and U15 national championships, made up of players identified by the National Talent System, which is headed up by National Talent Manager and former Australia captain Greg Chappell.

The changes further detail on the strategy behind the Australian Cricket Pathway will be delivered at a series of 20 roadshows around the country, starting this weekend in Brisbane.

The roadshows will explain and discuss the Pathway strategy, as well as outline many exciting new developments designed to support the wider cricket community.

CA Chief Executive James Sutherland said the programme would help not only make the game more accessible but ensure the best talent had the best chance of reaching the very top.

"These roadshows are a great opportunity for Australian cricket to all get together to talk about broadening, deepening and aligning the pathways for cricket,'' he said.

"We want the game of cricket to be as accessible as possible to all Australians, and participation is a key part of that. But so too is the success of the Australian teams and this alignment with the pathway is critically important.

"We acknowledge that there are many opportunities within cricket for umpires, administrators, coaches and volunteers. This pathway program is about letting everyone know where their opportunities lie in cricket, and how we, through Cricket Australia and the states and territories, can help everyone to progress their involvement in the game."

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