Nicole Faltum will transition from the T20I tour of New Zealand to captain the Australia A 50-over team.
Heather Graham, Nicole Faltum, and Charli Knott are set to captain Australia A in a series against England A in late March. The series will be a multi-format one, including three T20 matches, three one-day matches, and a four-day game, all played in Sydney.
Graham will lead the Australia A T20 team. Faltum, who is also in the T20I squad for the tour of New Zealand starting March 21, will captain the one-day matches. Knott, an all-rounder from Queensland, will lead the four-day match starting April 12-15 at Cricket Central.
Australia A vs England A Schedule
- 26 March: First T20, Hurstville Oval
- 28 March: Second T20, Hurstville Oval
- 30 March: Third T20, Hurstville Oval
- 2 April: First 50-over match, Cricket Central, Sydney
- 4 April: Second 50-over match, Cricket Central, Sydney
- 7 April: Third 50-over match, Cricket Central, Sydney
- 12-15 April: Four-day match, Cricket Central, Sydney
Before the England A series, the second Green vs Gold match will take place, where two groups of Australian players will compete in a three-day game in Canberra from March 12-14. This concept was launched last year, and Georgia Voll notably scored a double century.
Faltum will captain the Green team, while Knott will lead the Gold team.
National selector Shawn Flegler stated that these series are crucial for the elite player pathway, offering development opportunities for promising domestic players to demonstrate their abilities against strong international opponents.
He added that the National Selection Panel is focused on the future, as seen with successful transitions of players like Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield into the Australian team. This series provides an excellent opportunity to assess a wide range of players.
Flegler mentioned the inclusion of new faces in the squads and expressed excitement about seeing players like Grace Dignam, Elsa Hunter, Gabby Sutcliffe, Sianna Ginger, and Rhys McKenna in action.
He noted that with a one-day World Cup in India this year and a T20 World Cup next year, the ‘A’ series is particularly important for evaluating players who could contend for selection.
The England A tour follows the senior team’s 16-0 Ashes defeat earlier in the season.
Australia A Squads vs England A
T20s
Lauren Cheatle, Hannah Darlington, Sophie Day, Amy Edgar, Tess Flintoff, Sianna Ginger, Heather Graham, Charli Knott, Anika Learoyd, Rhys McKenna, Madeline Penna, Amy Smith, Courtney Webb, Tahlia Wilson
50-overs
Lauren Cheatle, Hannah Darlington, Sophie Day, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Sianna Ginger, Nicola Hancock, Ella Hayward, Charli Knott, Anika Learoyd, Amy Smith, Georgia Voll, Courtney Webb, Tahlia Wilson
Four-day
Maitlan Brown, Lauren Cheatle, Maddy Darke, Sophie Day, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Sianna Ginger, Nicola Hancock, Ella Hayward, Charli Knott, Anika Learoyd, Lilly Mills, Rachel Trenaman, Tahlia Wilson
Australia Green v Gold Squads
Green
Lauren Cheatle, Maddy Darke, Grace Dignam, Nicole Faltum, Sianna Ginger, Ella Hayward, Elsa Hunter, Katie Mack, Lilly Mills, Georgia Prestwidge, Gabby Sutcliffe, Rachel Trenaman, Amanda-Jade Wellington
Gold
Maitlan Brown, Hannah Darlington, Sophie Day, Emma de Broughe, Amy Edgar, Tess Flintoff, Nicola Hancock, Charli Knott, Anika Learoyd, Bridget Patterson, Amy Smith, Courtney Webb, Tahlia Wilson
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