Former Australia women's captain Alyssa Healy and former international Mel Jones have publicly criticised the lack of visibility and scheduling space afforded to the Australian women's cricket team, despite the side's status as arguably the best in the world. The comments, made to foxsports.com.au, were prompted by a scheduling clash that saw a home women's ODI compete directly with a men's Test overseas.

The Clash That Sparked the Outcry

Australia's third ODI against New Zealand at North Sydney Oval last Thursday kicked off at 7:15pm, clashing almost exactly with the final day of the men's Test against South Africa in Gqeberha, which began at 7pm. Rain in Sydney subsequently reduced the women's match to just 16 balls, bringing an already frustrating evening to an abrupt end.

'They're playing at North Sydney Oval at 7:15pm … the Test begins at 7pm. I mean, we're even clashing against our own side that's playing overseas. It's disappointing. I think the fact that our girls are playing as well as they are and aren't quite getting the spotlight here in our own country is really frustrating,' Healy said.

Jones Echoes the Frustration

Jones agreed, arguing that the team's elite performances were being denied the platform they deserved. 'We know that we have probably the best sporting team in the world on our doorstep, and we're not allowing that tag and their elite performances and amazing stories and capabilities and athleticism to be showcased,' she said. 'When you've got something like this, you want to show it off and you want to put it on the pedestal it deserves. And having a summer like this in which it has been really difficult for fans to come out and support this team is hugely disappointing,' Jones added.

A Broader Scheduling Problem

The concerns extend well beyond the abandoned match. Australia's women are set to go more than four months without a home international, with their October ODI and T20I series against Bangladesh and New Zealand respectively confined to just Brisbane and Sydney. Healy pointed out that this limits exposure across the country. 'Even a minor detail – you're having the three ODIs in Brisbane and the three T20s in Sydney – there's not even an opportunity for the whole of Australia to see a team that's just come off a World Cup win. And that to me is really disappointing,' she said.

The congested calendar has been shaped in part by the Women's Premier League (WPL), the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), and the International Cricket Council's (ICC) decision to push the inaugural Women's Champions Trophy to February 2027.

Criticism of Late Men's Schedule Finalisation

Jones also directed criticism at the late finalisation of the men's Test schedule. 'I'd love to know the kind of pushback on the men's side of things once the women's were locked in,' she said, implying that the women's programme had less leverage in the scheduling process. She described the situation as 'a little bit of a lack of respect of the number one team in the world.'

Cricket Australia's Response and the Road Ahead

Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg has since pledged to explore alternatives and get 'creative' with future scheduling. Proposed solutions include staging women's T20Is after men's Tests or better aligning the WBBL with the men's domestic tournament. Healy, for her part, remains cautiously optimistic. 'I know the schedule seems to be locked in for the next three years, but I think there's ways that we can adjust it to make sure that we're maximising exposure to those girls,' she said. With the ICC's Future Tours Programme leaving limited home-window opportunities during peak Australian summer, the pressure on administrators to act is now squarely in the public domain.