Mooney urges Cricket Australia to schedule summer home games

Australia wicketkeeper-batter Beth Mooney has urged Cricket Australia to schedule more women’s home matches during the peak summer period, saying the current fixture calendar makes it harder for families to attend and could hinder girls’ access to the sport. No decision by Cricket Australia to change future schedules has been reported. The immediate concern is a run of three T20 matches against New Zealand in Sydney on October 18, 20 and 22, all scheduled on school nights. Australia’s home summer begins with three one-day internationals against Bangladesh in Brisbane from October 9. After the New Zealand T20 series, the team’s next reported home matches are one-day internationals against New Zealand in March 2027. Mooney said weekday evening fixtures at an inconvenient time of year can make it difficult for parents to bring children to matches. She warned that limited opportunities to watch the national team could discourage girls from becoming involved in cricket. The reports provide no attendance or participation figures to establish whether scheduling has had those effects. She also argued that women’s fixtures need not compete with men’s cricket for calendar space.