Historic Tests, WBBL window secured in new women's FTP

18 days ago

cricket.com.au

Australia's women play eight Tests in the next four years, but home marquee series shifted to February-March to avoid WPL clash

Australia's women's marquee home series will be shifted to a February-March timeslot from next summer onwards to accommodate an earlier Women's Premier League in a new global playing schedule unveiled this evening.

Alyssa Healy's side will also play their first Test match against West Indies in almost 50 years in early 2026 as a new multi-format series opponent is added to the schedule in the latest International Cricket Council's women's Future Tours Program (FTP).

Among the other highlights for Australia's women in an increasingly congested international calendar covering the period until March 2029 is a historic first Test match in South Africa (2027), home and away multi-format series against India and another standalone women's Ashes at home (2029).

The re-introduction of Olympic cricket (a first for women) at the Los Angeles 2028 Games has also been built into the touring schedule in July of that year and there are dedicated annual windows for the Weber WBBL (November), The Hundred (August) and India's WPL (January-February).

Securing clear air in November each year for the WBBL – now in its 10th season – was a key priority for Cricket Australia during the latest round of FTP discussions as the number of franchise competitions around the world grows, with strong WBBL player payments in an established competition helping the governing body achieve its desired outcome.

"It was important for all members to block out windows for their players to participate in the WBBL, WPL, and The Hundred," said CA's head of operations and scheduling Peter Roach.

"Allowing players to play more cricket, maximise their earnings while also being able to commit to international cricket is a brilliant result for our women players.

"We are also delighted that the WBBL will continue to have the world's best local and international players every year."

But the BCCI's wish to shift its premier women's competition – which has been played in February and March in its first two seasons and will be again next year – has had major implications for the shape of Australia's international summer of cricket.

The WPL will kick off in January from 2026 onwards, meaning Australia's marquee home series will move from the late January school holiday period to avoid a clash with the highest paying women's T20 league where Australian stars are among the most sought-after talent.

This summer's Ashes contest will be the last home internationals to be staged in January for at least the next five years with India's multi-format visit consisting of one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is to now be held after the WPL in February-March 2026.

"This is the first women's FTP with the WPL in place from the start," Roach said.

"The BCCI's decision for the WPL to move earlier in the calendar year allowed us to look at our preferred times to play international cricket across the period.

"We have for some years now sought free space for our magnificent women's team and players to shine, and also for the team to have a consistent presence at a certain time of the season.

"The window of immediately following WPL in February-March was identified ... this also allows us to extend the international cricket season which we see as an advantage – cricket around the country generally runs from the start of October to the end of March and having our biggest international matches spread over that period makes sense."

Australia will host T20 World Cup champions New Zealand for a white-ball tour in the same timeslot the following summer before another subcontinent Christmas awaits in December 2027 with a return multi-format points-based contest in India.

Australia will also host a second international opponent for three ODIs and three T20Is to kick off their home summer in October 2026 (Bangladesh) and December 2028, the latter a historic first tour Down Under by Ireland.

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The ODI leg of those series forms part of an expanded ICC Women's Championship (IWC) that now includes Zimbabwe as one of the 11 teams, who Australia haven't been allocated to play in this FTP cycle along with Pakistan.

The IWC determines automatic qualification for the ODI World Cup. The top five nations of the ongoing 2022-25 Championship will qualify for the 2025 50-over World Cup along with hosts India, with the bottom four progressing to a qualifying tournament.

Australia have been allocated to play England, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Ireland at home and India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies away during the 2026-29 IWC to book their spot at the 2029 World Cup.

After being knocked out by South Africa in the T20 semi-finals last month, Healy's women will get their first shot at World Cup redemption in October next year when India host the 50-over showpiece, with the biennial T20 event to be held in the UK the following June-July.

A T20 Champions Trophy has been scheduled for June 2027 in Sri Lanka in line with the ICC's aim to hold one event every calendar year, which has also resulted in another T20 World Cup being staged about a month after the Olympics concludes in September 2028.

Like the landmark away tour to Bangladesh earlier this year, CA has again looked to capitalise on away tours to prepare for ICC events in the next FTP, with three ODIs in India immediately prior to next year's 50-over World Cup.

Australia will also visit the Caribbean for three T20Is as part of a multi-format series in the lead up to the 2026 T20 World Cup, while a tri-series in Sri Lanka and another in the West Indies – both including India – precede the Champions Trophy in 2027 and LA Games in 2028 respectively.

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Away Ashes tours will continue to run concurrently with the men's series in July 2027, which follows the Champions Trophy and leads straight into that year's Hundred tournament, concluding a hectic 12 months for Australia's top players where they are slated to play in every month except May.

The Test that forms part of the 2027 multi-format Ashes in England has already been allocated by the ECB to Headingley, while the 2031 Test (not included in this FTP cycle) will be played at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.

Including this summer's landmark Ashes fixture at the MCG, Australia's women will play eight Tests across the next four-year cycle – three more than they did in the previous four years and roughly one at home and one away every 12 months.

The Windies' players' desire to play red-ball cricket will see them join England, India and South Africa as Australia's multi-format opponents, with the first one-Test, three-ODI and three-T20I points-based contest between the two sides set for March-April 2026 in the Caribbean.

West Indies played their last women's Test two decades ago against Pakistan and have only played 12 in total, with the first two of those their last red-ball meeting against Australia, a 0-0 series draw in 1976. They will also host England in a Test, and play one in South Africa, in the next cycle.

"CA's position is that T20 is the growth vehicle for the sport, but also that all three formats can work together when the depth of talent reaches certain thresholds," Roach said.

"The multi-format series is one we support for members who have that depth of talent (and) we are delighted the West Indies are looking to play multi-format series against us in the future, joining England, India and South Africa."

After playing the Proteas in the first ever women's Test between the two nations in Perth in February this year, Australia will embark on their first Test encounter on South African soil in March-April 2027.

The three one-day internationals part of that multi-format tour will be played for IWC points, while the three T20s will serve as ideal preparation for the Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka two months later.

The new FTP concludes in early 2029 with a home multi-format Ashes and three T20s against the Kiwis, with another ODI World Cup earmarked for later that year in a country yet to be announced.

Full FTP until March 2029 2024-25

September: Three T20s v New Zealand

✈ September-October: T20 World Cup – UAE (moved from Bangladesh)

December: Three ODIs* v India. ✈ Three ODIs* tour of New Zealand

January-February: Multi-format Ashes series against England. One Test, three ODIs and three T20s

✈ March: Three T20 tour of New Zealand

2025-26

✈ September: Three ODI tour of India

✈ October: ODI World Cup – India

February-March: Multi-format series v India: one Test, three ODIs and three T20s (shifted from January start date to accommodate earlier WPL)

✈ March-April: Multi-format tour of West Indies: one Test, three ODIs and three T20s

2026-27