Beth Mooney, Australia’s wicketkeeper-batsman, has cautioned that the current scheduling plan may cause the sport to slip behind, and has encouraged Cricket Australia to relocate women’s home games back to peak summer. On October 6, 2026, Mooney, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament at the 2026 T20 World Cup in England, aired her concerns.
According to Cricinfo’s Beth Mooney, “that will stop girls from getting into the game because parents aren’t going to take them.”
To kick off their home summer, Australia will host three one-day internationals against Bangladesh in Brisbane on October 9, 2026. On October 18, 20, and 22, they will play three Twenty20 matches against New Zealand in Sydney on school evenings. After then, Australia will not play at home again until March 2027, when they host New Zealand in One-Day Internationals (ODIs). The inaugural game is scheduled for March 6, 2027, in Canberra.
According to the current ICC calendar, neither WBBL nor international women’s cricket will be played during Australian school holidays for at least the next three years. This summer’s calendar has also been influenced by the ICC’s decision to move the maiden Women’s Champions Trophy from June to July to February. Australia’s home window will be further reduced by their upcoming visit to Sri Lanka through December 2026.
According to Beth Mooney, women’s cricket does not have to compete with men’s cricket for calendar positions.
“We do not want to be the sport that falls behind because we make mistakes. We’re just pushing harder because it’s a stressful time of year for parents, and we’re working against a tight deadline. “They are not taking their child to see a T20 on a Tuesday nite at 7 p.m. or anything.” It’s badly marketed, and we’re not getting a lot of traffic.
“”The Australian women’s team plays here [at this time] every year” isn’t a big draw. Our goal is to become relatable athletes. And, while it is intended to be a summer sport, it becomes quite difficult if we are not the center of attention. The males do not need to compete with us. They sometimes play the day-night test. Before then, we can play T20s. Alternatively, we can play T20s at nite while the men’s test is on,” she added.
The December games at Molineux would be highly memorable.
The lack of home games in December and January was “obviously disappointing,” according to coach Shelley Nitschke. Llyse Perry, Australia’s most capped player, expressed similar schedule concerns earlier in September 2026. The Indian Women’s Premier League, which runs from January 14 to February 7, has put additional strain on the international schedule, since players are concerned it would last longer.
Home games should be moved to December and January, which coincide with school holidays and the height of the Australian summer, according to a number of Australian players and team management. Captain Sophie Molineux stated that the team’s home games in December will be “really special”.
Also Read : Shoaib Bashir Set to Retain England Contract
“Having fans show up would also be helpful. Molineux stated, “I completely understand that schedules are getting bigger and busier.”
Rohan Mehta covers cricket through detailed analysis, features, player stories, and match insights. His work explores performances, tactics, emerging players, and the bigger stories shaping the game, with a focus on making complex cricket developments engaging and accessible to fans
