Cricket Australia has shuffled the women’s central contracts for 2026-27, with uncapped all-rounder Chloe Ainsworth and teenage seamer-batter Lucy Hamilton joining an 18-player list that also welcomes back Nicola Carey. Grace Harris keeps her place, while the retired Alyssa Healy, plus Tayla Vlaeminck and Tess Flintoff, drop off the sheet.
Ainsworth, 20, has never been named in a senior Australia squad, yet her domestic form was tough to ignore. For Western Australia in the WNCL she piled on 194 runs at an average of 97, including a maiden hundred, and although she managed only three wickets, her pace offered something different. Her WBBL returns for Perth Scorchers – 13 wickets at 28.76, economy 7.33 – underline why selectors feel she can step up.
Hamilton’s rise has been quicker still. The left-armer debuted in all three formats during March, impressing against India and then in the Caribbean. A national retainer looked a formality after that brief but lively audition.
Carey’s recall is less about promise and more about a proven, adaptable game. She declined a contract in 2023 to focus on Tasmania, but came back for January’s tour of India and produced an ODI best 49 in St Kitts a month later. That stint earned her an “upgrade” mid-season and now a full deal.
National selector Shawn Flegler explained the thinking. “It’s exciting to see Lucy Hamilton and Chloe Ainsworth earn their first national contracts, which is a testament to the impact and talent they’ve showed at domestic level, while Nicola Carey retains her recent upgrade after some strong performances over the last two series,” he said. “While Tayla and Tess aren’t on the list year, we’ll continue to support their development and they are both very much still in contention for selection.”
Tahlia Wilson is the only player capped in the past 12 months to miss out. The New South Wales wicketkeeper made her ODI debut in the West Indies but with Beth Mooney and Alyssa Healy (before retirement) around the gloves were always crowded.
How the contract year looks
The new deal spans a packed calendar: a T20 World Cup in England, home limited-overs series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, an away trip to Sri Lanka and, late next summer, a tour of South Africa that includes a rare women’s Test.
As ever, players outside the 18 can force upgrades. Twelve points is the magic number – five for a Test, two for an ODI, two for a T20I – and recent history shows selectors are happy to reward form quickly.
2026-27 contracted players
Chloe Ainsworth, Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham.
Ins: Ainsworth, Carey, Hamilton.
Out: Healy (retired), Vlaeminck, Flintoff.
For Ainsworth and Hamilton it is a well-earned leap; for Carey a return to the fold; and for the rest a reminder that competition for green-and-gold spots is only getting fiercer.
