Home and away: biggest ever WNCL locked in

The biggest ever season of the women's national one-day competition will begin on September 23, with Women's National Cricket League returning to a full schedule with two matches against each opponent for the first time in more than a decade.

Cricket Australia has confirmed the schedule for the 2022-23 WNCL, which will feature 43 matches with all seven teams to play each other twice.

The return to a full season was the major change in a one-year rollover of the agreement between Cricket Australia and the players' union announced in May.

While teams played each other twice from the tournament’s inception in 1996-97 through to 2009-10 (where total matches played peaked at 31 following the ACT’s arrival in the competition), the WNCL was reduced to a six-game-a-side season when the domestic T20 competition was introduced in 2010-11; the same year Tasmania first fielded a team.

FULL WOMEN'S NATIONAL CRICKET LEAGUE SCHEDULE

FULL MARSH SHEFFIELD SHIELD SCHEDULE

FULL MARSH ONE-DAY CUP SCHEDULE

CA then increased the competition to an eight-match season in 2019-20 in line with the growing professionalism of the women's game.

"A full WNCL season with two matches against each opponent is a logical step and provides greater opportunities for our emerging women's cricketers to play alongside our world-leading Australian players," Cricket Australia's head of cricket operations and scheduling, Peter Roach, said.

The WNCL was hit hard by COVID-19 restrictions and scheduling uncertainty in the past two years – although no matches were lost from the schedule in either season – which meant the expected September season start was pushed back until after the conclusion of the Weber WBBL in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

The condensed schedules that followed then limited the availability of Australia's contracted players, due to international commitments.

This summer, Australia's top players are expected to be available for the first two rounds of matches in September and early October ahead of WBBL|08, and for the fourth round of games in early January ahead of the home ODI and T20I series against Pakistan.

However, December's tour of India will rule those selected out of the matches played immediately after the WBBL, and the 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa next February will overlap with the final two rounds as well as the final, to be played on February 25.

Meanwhile, the additional games ensure players will pocket an extra $7000 on average in match payments, and the average annual salary for a female domestic player involved in both the WNCL and Weber WBBL competitions will increase to around $86,000 per year.

Every team will host six matches; all of Victoria's home matches will be played at Junction Oval, South Australia will host theirs at Karen Rolton Oval and Western Australia at the WACA Ground – including five day-night fixtures.

Queensland will host games at the redeveloped Allan Border Field and Norths, with venues for two matches yet to be confirmed, reigning champions Tasmania will play at least four matches at Blundstone Arena, while the ACT will play at least two of their home games at EPC Solar Park.

New South Wales begin their summer with four matches at North Sydney Oval, before twin games against ACT at Orange's Wade Park in February.

Streaming details for the 2022-23 season will be confirmed in due course.

Last summer, the vast majority of WNCL matches were live streamed free for fans in Australia on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app, and on Kayo Sports.