Veteran axed, young guns earn Aussie cricket contracts

Yahoo

17-04-2025

Blazing batter Georgia Voll and bowling allrounder Tess Flintoff have both earned their first full Cricket Australia contracts.
Voll has been upgraded after becoming a regular member of the Australian side across all three formats during summer.
The 21-year-old's debut on the Cricket Australia list, released on Thursday, was no surprise given the remarkable start to her international career.
Congratulations to Georgia Voll and Tess Flintoff who have been added to the national contract list for the first time! 👏 pic.twitter.com/z5Vogl30I3
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) April 16, 2025
Since making her international debut in December, the Queenslander has already notched an ODI century and two T20 international half-centuries.
Flintoff, 22, has long been touted as a future Australian player, having come through the national player pathway and having been a member of various Australia A sides, Governor-General's XI and Green versus Gold fixtures.
The supremely talented Victorian allrounder blasted her way into the WBBL record books in 2022 when she smashed an incredible 16-ball half-century for the Melbourne Stars against the Adelaide Strikers.
"Tess is an exciting young player who we can see having a long future in the green and gold,'' said national selector Shawn Flegler.
"Having overcome injury, we're looking forward to seeing her fit and firing throughout summer, which adds further depth to our pace-bowling stocks.
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"Georgia has made a sensational start to her international career, showing her immense talent from the onset and playing a pivotal role for the team in the absence of Alyssa Healy at the top of the order.
"Her ability to adapt to the various formats has been impressive and will come into play with an ODI World Cup later this year and a multi-format series against India in the new year.''
Veteran Jess Jonassen, who hasn't played for Australia since 2023, missed out on a contract.
But Flegler said the 32-year-old World Cup winner was certainly not out of the picture.
"While Jess Jonassen has not been included on this year's list, we're always keeping an eye on players outside of the squad and she is no exception," he said.
Players not awarded contracts as part of the initial squad of 18 can earn upgrades by accruing 12 upgrade points. Players receive five points for a Test match, two for an ODI and two for a T20 International.
Australian players contracted for the 2025-26 cricket season: Darcie Brown, Tess Flintoff, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham.