Vlaeminck targeting full season after 'tough' contract call

It took Tayla Vlaeminck just nine balls to make an impact in her return from a long-term shoulder injury, and despite losing her Australian contract, national selector Shawn Flegler says she'll be back in the mix as soon as she's able to string a run of games together.

Vlaeminck was left off the 18-player 2026-27 national contract list announced on Wednesday having gone almost 18 months without playing at any level since dislocating her shoulder just four balls into her sole appearance at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

The 27-year-old speedster made her long-awaited comeback earlier on Wednesday in the ongoing three-day red-ball 'Green v Gold' match in Sydney, dismissing WNCL player of the season Katie Mack caught behind in her second over.

Flegler said it was a "really tough" call not to renew the right-armer's national contract, but it didn't preclude her from playing for Australia.

"She's obviously been injured for a few years now, we've kept her on contract, and we just came to the point where we thought it was better for her to go back and play some state cricket and WBBL," Flegler said.

"I've had some good chats with her over the last couple of years to be honest, but even as recently as (Tuesday) night, just making sure that she's still got the full support of us.

"Once she's back playing a lot more – the three-day game was the start of it, but she was looking to try and get some offseason games as well overseas, if she could.

"Hopefully, she gets back into a full season of cricket and when she's back playing, she's going to be available for selection, no doubt."

Vlaeminck has played 29 times for Australia since making her debut in 2018, taking 25 wickets at an average of 23 across both white-ball formats, but her career has been disrupted by numerous shoulder, foot and knee injuries.

She returned the tidy figures of 1-15 from six overs on Wednesday before NSW batter Anika Learoyd hit a superb 142 not out to lift CA Gold to 292 all out on the opening day at Bankstown Oval.

Emerging quicks Lucy Hamilton and Chloe Ainsworth were added to Australia's women's contract list for the first time in place of Vlaeminck and fellow Victorian Tess Flintoff.

Left-armer Hamilton has impressed for Australia since making her international debut in all three formats in the space of just 23 days last month, and Flegler said she on the cusp of earning a spot in the squad for June's T20 World Cup in the UK.

However, he said they would take a "longer-term view" with 20-year-old Ainsworth, with the West Australian right-armer currently nursing a foot issue that prevented her from being involved in the Green v Gold match.

"We'll make sure that she continues to strengthen her body and gets into a position where she's capable of getting through an international series," Flegler said.

"She hasn't been able to do that with an 'A' series or even with a domestic season fully yet, so we want to keep working on that with her.

"But Lucy definitely, she's right in the mix. We'll finalise that T20 World Cup selection over the next couple of weeks.

"Every game she's played, she's shown composure and a good skill set, and there's not many left-armers about, so we were keen to see that at international level, and I think she's done really well."

Meanwhile, Flegler said selectors viewed Flintoff as an "international-level player" but wanted to see her dominate domestic cricket again to force her way back into contention.

The 23-year-old allrounder won the Sharon Tredrea Award last week as Victoria's WNCL player of the season for her 347 runs at 43 and nine wickets in a campaign where her team didn't win a game and finished last with negative points due to an overrate penalty.

"I think she just needs to narrow the gap between her really good and not so good," Flegler said of Flintoff.

"She's a young, developing allrounder with a really good skill set and it was great to see her finish off the season the way she did (with scores of 101 and 72no against WA in February).

"We (brought) her on contract and gave her a bit of a taste with some 'A' series and we had around the group a little bit in some training camps, just to see what that next level is like for her.

"I think Tess can have a really good international career.

"She's got pace on the ball, she swings it back in when she's going well, she hits the ball hard and she's great in the field.

"They are the players that we've been consistently looking for, so she will definitely be in conversations over the next few years."

Tasmanian allrounder Nicola Carey was the other change to contracted group after returning to the Australia side during January's multi-format series against India, filling the spot vacated by retired captain Alyssa Healy.