WNCL schedule confirmed to boost Aussie Ashes prep

The rejigged schedule for the Women's National Cricket League has been confirmed, with the domestic 50-over competition to begin in Melbourne on December 16.

The start of the 29-game season was postponed from September due to state border closures but will still conclude as planned on March 6.

In a first, every match of the 2021-22 season will be live streamed free for fans in Australia on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app, while all games will also be streamed on Kayo Sports.

In past seasons, only the final was consistently live streamed each year, with other matches at streamed by the host state on an ad-hoc basis.

It builds on the work started last season, when the quantity and quality of WNCL streaming increased dramatically, and 19 of 29 matches were live streamed by cricket.com.au, with a portion of those featuring on Kayo.

The tournament opener will see Victoria host the ACT Meteors at Junction Oval on December 16, while a mouth-watering clash full of international players between Victoria and NSW Breakers will be played at the same venue on December 19.

Reigning champions Queensland will launch their title defense on December 17 against a Tasmanian side that has added Molly Strano and Elyse Villani to its ranks.

Australia's squad members will be available for the first half of the season – playing up to four matches each – but international duties will keep them out of the second half and the final.

The 14 matches played across December and January will present Australia's stars with a chance to prepare for the Commonwealth Bank Ashes and ODI World Cup, and offer those on the fringes of the squad a chance to make a statement to national selectors.

The second half of the season will play out across an action-packed fortnight in February, with fourteen matches in as many days ahead of the final on March 6.

Matches are scheduled across all six states and the ACT but, while most borders around Australia are set to be opening when the tournament starts, a lack of clarity around WA's border could force further changes to the schedule.

Currently, WA are due to host South Australia for two matches in December, and travel to Hobart for two matches against Tasmania in January.

"The WNCL is integral to the success of our national team and maintaining the strength of the competition is a priority for Australian cricket," said Peter Roach, Cricket Australia’s Head of Operations.

"Like all sports, we cannot rule out facing challenges created by the global pandemic at some stage in the season.

"However, the lessons of the 2020-21 summer have prepared us well to be agile and adapt as required to deliver the best possible season for the players and fans."

Each team will again play eight matches before the top two ranked sides meet in the final.

It is a continuation of the status quo, despite state players and coaches lobbying for the WNCL to return to a full home-and-away season, something that has not been the case since the state T20 competition was introduced a decade ago.

Currently, the female and male state one-day competitions are similarly structured where each team plays the other at least once, with the WNCL featuring more games due to it having an additional team, the ACT Meteors.

However, with no women's multi-day cricket, the country’s female domestic players – who achieved semi-professional status in the most recent pay deal in 2017 – train from June-April for a maximum of just nine matches for their state per season.

Roach told cricket.com.au in July that an expansion of the WNCL remained on CA’s radar, but that this season was a matter of balancing the domestic calendar with the busiest international season for Australia’s women’s team in recent memory.

"It’s certainly on the radar for the future to make sure our growing depth and talent is playing enough games to prepare them for international cricket … whether that means 10 games (in future) or a different option, those are things we’re looking at."