Talent Pathways

Australian Teams - Men's and Women's Team

The national selection panel selects 16-18 players each year to form the Australian Women’s contracted list and 20-24 players each year to form the Australian Men’s contracted list.

Australian support staff work closely with the National Cricket Centre staff, Sport Science Sport Medicine unit and in close collaboration with state associations in the implementation of development plans for CA contracted players.

The programs are conducted over a twelve-month period. The athletes attend an approximately of three camps per year at the NCC and undergo specialist training sessions within their home state.

Individual programs are developed for each squad member by the Women’s Head Coach in consultation with the State coaches and the player. The player progress is monitored via testing, Coach state visits, training diaries and communication with the athlete’s coaches (state and satellite) by the Head Coach with assistance from the Australian Team support staff and relevant state coach.

Both Men and Women’s programs are built around the following ICC world events:

• ICC T20 World Cup (every 4 years),
• ICC ODI World Cup (every 4 years),
• ICC World Test Championship (every 2 years) – Men only.

Australia A Teams - Men's and Women's

Australia's second XI squads - Australia A - provide an opportunity for the next crop of emerging talent to showcase their skill on the international stage and tour once a year. The Australia A programs are annual development programs targeting the best young talent in Australia. The national selectors select up to 20 male athletes and 20 female athletes each year to be part of the programs.

Players are selected from Domestic competition performance and International Under 19 performances. The programs are managed by CA Heads of Performance with extensive involvement of the National Selection Panel. State and territory association coaches are involved in the camps conducted for this group and are included in the ongoing monitoring of the squads.

The programs consist of one to two camps per year held at the National Cricket Centre, state visits by the Head Coach, satellite training sessions and access to the NCC specialist camps. Also included in the programs are international series either played home or away each year.

Australian Under 19 Programs

The Under 19 programs are two-year programs that are aligned to the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup cycle. Players are identified at Under 16 and 17 championships and developed over the two years leading into the Under 19 World Cup. The squads are modified within the two-year period with the final selection occurring as part of the Under 19 championships immediately preceding the World Cup.

The programs are managed by the High Performance Coaches who operate as the Australian Under 19 Coaches. The decentralised program includes camps held at the National Cricket Centre and state visits by the coach. The Australian Under 19 coaches work closely with state and territory coaches on individual athlete development and monitoring the player’s progress. While the World Cup events are held every second year, the Australian Under 19 teams will also participate in bilateral series each year.

International Development Camps 

Each year a group of emerging athletes are selected to experience diverse international conditions.  The MRF Cricket Academy in Chennai provides an annual opportunity for a group of emerging talent to gain important exposure to the spin-friendly conditions that India experiences in the extreme climate of Chennai.  The MRF camp is held for 10-12 days during the off-season each year and the National Selection Panel - in conjunction with the National Development Lead and the National U19 Coaching staff - select a squad of 8-12 players.  The MRF Camp also provides an opportunity for emerging domestic coaches to gain international experience. In return for hosting our squad at the MRF Academy, the MRF select two Indian players to travel to Australia each year for a 10-14 day experience.

The opportunities for these customised international experiences extend to the Under 19 programs and the emerging male and female players.

Underage National Cricket Championships 

Underage National Cricket Championships have been running in Australia since the 1960s. More than 150 players from the National Championships have gone on to play Test Cricket for Australia with several becoming Australian Test Captains. Many more have gone on to play First-Class and WNCL/List-A cricket demonstrating the strength of these competitions.

Cricket Australia hosts four National Cricket Championships: Under 19 Males; Under 19 Females; Under 17 Males; and, Under 16 Females. 

In 2021 Cricket Australia and the state and territory cricket associations reviewed all the underage competitions run by each organisation and have streamlined the programs. All Underage programs are now run by the state and territory cricket associations, who send representative teams to participate in Cricket Australia's Underage National Cricket Championships. If you want to get involved, you can read more by clicking on your state or territory pathway link below.