Cricket Australia have today announced the names of 13 women to whom they will offer Southern Stars contracts for 2016/2017. However the terms of those contracts are still being discussed, with CA keen to move away from the revenue sharing method that has served them so well for nearly 20 years. With the ACA (the players' union) and the players themselves, adamant that the next Memorandum of Understanding continues to pay CA players at all levels on a revenue sharing basis, it looks as though CA will either have to back down or face the consequences. With the Champions Trophy, for the men, and the Women's World Cup, for the women, just around the corner it is not ideal timing, but there are big money television contracts about to be negotiated by CA.
Thirteen Southern Stars is a reduction of two from the 2015/2016 list, with Renee Farrell, Holly Ferling, Grace Harris and Erin Osborne all losing their contracts, and only teenage leggie Amanda-Jade Wellington and 30 year old Rachel Haynes added to the list, winning back a contract she last held four years ago.
Presumably these 13 players will form the basis of Australia's 15 player squad for the WWC17 which gets underway two months from today.
The 13 Southern Stars contracted players are
Kristen Beams
Alex Blackwell
Nicole Bolton
Lauren Cheatle
Rachel Haynes
Alysa Healy
Jess Jonassen
Meg Lnning
Beth Mooney
Ellyse Perry
Megan Schutt
Elyse Villani
Amanda-Jade Wellington
MD
24/IV/17
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Always feel sorry for players losing contracts but it's a cutthroat business these days and for that 4, they've not had the best year or so. Now Farrell's retired, their seam bowling attack is looking pretty thin. Having said that it's still a strong 13 though with great batting and spin bowling strength.
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