Cricket Australia (CA) is a company which operates some professional and amateur cricket competitions and teams in Australia. It had its origins in the 'Australian Board of Control for International Cricket', formed in 1905. The company was incorporated in 1982, with members' liability limited by guarantee.
It operates its men's Australia national cricket team, Australia women's national cricket team and Australia national under-19 cricket team, Australia A cricket team, along with other national-level teams (such as Indigenous, disability or over-age teams) in conjunction with the relevant organisations. It also organises and hosts Test matches, One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals in association with other national cricket organisations, and schedules home international fixtures.
It deals with the Australian Cricketers' Association regarding player's rights, pay and work agreements and welfare requirements.
Membership and governance Cricket Australia has six member organisations:
New South Wales – Cricket NSW Queensland – Queensland Cricket South Australia – South Australian Cricket Association Tasmania – Cricket Tasmania Victoria – Cricket Victoria Western Australia – Western Australian Cricket
Cricket ACT and Northern Territory Cricket are non-member associations, although the ACT participates in Cricket Australia tournaments such as the Women's National Cricket League and the Futures League, and previously briefly also competed in the domestic limited-overs competition.
It is governed by nine independent directors. The chief executive officer reports to the board of directors.
National teams Men's Test team: Australia played in the first-ever Test match against England in 1877 and has since become one of the most successful teams in Test cricket history. Australia has been a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since its inception in 1909. As of April 2025, the Men's Test team is captained by Pat Cummins.
Men's white-ball team: Australia played their first One-Day International in 1971 and has since won multiple ICC tournaments, including five World Cups. As of April 2025, Pat Cummins leads the ODI side, while Mitchell Marsh captains the T20I team.
Women's team: Australia played their first Women's Test match against England in 1934. They have won multiple Women's World Cups and T20 World Cups. As of April 2025, the team is captained by Alyssa Healy.
Under-19s team: Men's U-19 and Women's U-19 teams regularly compete in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cups. The most recent captains (2024) are Hugh Weibgen for the men's team and Meg Lanning has joined as a mentor for the women's team.
Reserves (A team): The Australia A is the second-tier men's team, focusing on developing players and providing them with exposure through tours and warm-up matches. The team plays in various formats to prepare players for the senior team.
Disability teams: Cricket Australia is committed to creating inclusive environments for people with disabilities. The teams administered by Cricket Australia include:
Blind
These teams participate in various national and international competitions, promoting the growth of cricket among players with disabilities.
Domestic teams Each of Cricket Australia's state member organisations select a team to participate in its domestic cricket tournaments every season.
State Men's sideTeam name Women's sideTeam name New South Wales New South Wales Men's Cricket TeamBlues New South Wales Women's Cricket Team Queensland Queensland Men's Cricket Team Bulls Queensland Women's Cricket Team Fire South Australia South Australia Men's Cricket Team Southern Redbacks South Australia Women's Cricket Team Scorpions Tasmania Tasmania Men's Cricket Team Tigers Tasmania Women's Cricket Team Roar Victoria Victoria Men's Cricket TeamBushrangers Victoria Women's Cricket Team Western Australia Western Australia Men's Cricket TeamWarriors Western Australia Women's Cricket Team Territory Men's side Women's side Australian Capital Territory Australian Capital Territory Men's Cricket Team Comets Australian Capital Territory Women's Cricket Team Meteors Northern Territory Northern Territory Men's Division Northern Territory Women's Division
Domestic tournaments Tournament Format Teams Notes Sheffield Shield First-Class 6 state teams Premier men's first-class competition in Australia. One-Day Cup (Dean Jones Trophy) List A (50 overs) 6 state teams Renamed in honor of Dean Jones; South Australia clinched the title. Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) 50 overs 6 state teams + ACT Premier women's 50-over competition; New South Wales were the champions. KFC Big Bash League (BBL) T20 8 city-based franchises Australia's premier men's T20 league. Weber Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) T20 8 city-based franchises Under-19 Male National Championships 50 overs State teams Developmental tournament for U-19 male cricketers. Under-19 Female National Championships 50 overs State teams Developmental tournament for U-19 female cricketers.
History Early tours by cricket teams from Australia to England were organised and funded by private groups or by the players themselves. Similarly, invitations to English teams were made by private promoters or by individual clubs, such as the Melbourne Cricket Club. These early tours were lucrative for the players and promoters and cricket administrators looked to find ways to channel some of this money to the state associations and major clubs.
In 1892, the Australasian Cricket Council, composed of representatives from the New South Wales, South Australian and Victorian cricket associations, was formed but disbanded in 1898. Its one lasting action was to establish the Sheffield Shield, the first-class cricket competition between the Australian colonies.Pollard, pp. 49–50.
In January 1905, formal discussions began in Sydney for the formation of a body to take control of tours from players. A draft constitution was discussed by members of the New South Wales, Victoria, South Australian and Queensland associations.Pollard, p. 56. In 1905, the "Australian Board of Control for International Cricket" was formedPollard, p. 57. and held its first meeting at Wesley College in Melbourne on 6 May 1905. The foundation members were the New South Wales Cricket Association and the Victorian Cricket Association. South Australia's delegates refused to join the board because the board structure denied the players any representation. The Queensland Cricket Association was represented as an observer only. The Queensland cricket association decided to formally join the board with one delegate member the following year. In 1906, the board's constitution was amended so that New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria would each have three permanent representatives and Queensland one representative. In 1907, Tasmania was permitted to send a single representative. Western Australia did likewise in 1913. Changes to this structure were made in 1914 and 1974 respectively when Queensland and Western Australia increased their representation to two each.
In 1973, the board changed its name to the Australian Cricket Board (ACB)
The board was incorporated on 29 September 1982. In 2003, it changed its name to Cricket Australia.
In 2001, it established its National Indigenous Cricket Advisory Committee (NICAC) which, in 2002, established a strategic plan, "Two Cultures: Australia's New Cricket Tradition". Ngadjuri man Vince Copley was the inaugural co-chair of the committee.
Finances
CA reported cumulative financial losses since 2019. Despite record attendances and record revenue from sponsorship and television rights, it reported a $11.3 million loss for 2024/25, leaving the organisation in debt. Its management has been criticised for over-spending, especially on their own salaries, benefits and travel.
Competitions
As well as responsibility for Australian international sides, Cricket Australia organises interstate cricket in Australia, including the premier competitions in each of the major forms of the game. These are the Sheffield Shield in first-class cricket (men's competition only), the One-Day Cup (men) and the Women's National Cricket League, which are the domestic one-day competitions, and the KFC Big Bash League and the Weber Women's Big Bash League, which are the domestic Twenty20 competitions (contested by franchises not state representative teams).
Cricket Australia's current and former competitions:
Sheffield Shield (first-class, various forms, 1892/93-present) One-Day Cup (limited-overs, various forms, 1969/70-present) KFC Twenty20 Big Bash (T20, 2005/06-2010/11, replaced by KFC BBL) KFC Big Bash League (T20, 2011/12-present) Toyota Second XI (red-ball, various forms, 1999/2000-2008/09, 2019/20-present, 2009/10-2018/19 as Futures League) Australian Women's Cricket Championships (first-class and limited-overs, various forms, 1930/31-1995/96, replaced by WNCL) Women's National Cricket League (limited-overs, various forms, 1996/97-present) Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup (T20, various forms, 2007-2014/15, replaced by WBBL) Weber Women's Big Bash League (T20, 2015/16-present, 2015/16-2020/21 as rebel WBBL)
Cricket Australia also runs (among others) the Under 19 and Under 17 Male Championships, the Under 18 and Under 15 Female National Championships, the National Indigenous Cricket Championships and the National Cricket Inclusion Championships.
Honours Cricket Australia also provides awards for various categories of players, including: Male: Test Player of the Year, One-Day Player of the Year, Bradman Young Player of the Year, Domestic Player of the Year, and the Allan Border Medal for the overall best Australian men's cricketer of the year. Female: the Belinda Clark Award for the best Australian women's cricketer of the year, the Betty Wilson Young Player of the Year, and the Domestic Player of the Year
Cricket Australia also honours players for exceptional service to the game of cricket in Australia by annually adding former players of great distinction to the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
Principals / Chairman of Cricket Australia
Chairmen Richard Teece: 1892–1893 Richard Best: 1893–1895 Mostyn Evan: 1895–1896; 1910–1911 John Gibson: 1896–1897 Will Whitridge: 1897–1900 Lawrence Adamson: 1905–1906 Ernie Bean: 1906–1907; 1912–1913 George Barbour: 1907–1908 George Foxton: 1908–1910 Charles Eady: 1911 William McElhone: 1911–1912 James Allen: 1913–1914 Harry Blinman: 1914–1919 Harold Bushby: 1919; 1925–1926 Harry Gregory: 1919–1920; 1922–1923; 1926–1927 Harry Rush: 1920–1922 Jack Hutcheon: 1923–1924 Bernard Scrymgour: 1924–1925 Aubrey Oxlade: 1927–1930; 1933–1936; 1945–1948; 1951–1952 Allen Robertson: 1930–1933; 1936–1945; 1948–1951 Roy Middleton: 1952–1955 Frank Cush: 1955–1957 Bill Dowling: 1957–1960 Sir Donald Bradman: 1960–1963; 1969–1972 Ewart Macmillan: 1963–1966 Bob Parish: 1966–1969; 1975–1978 Tim Caldwell: 1972–1975 Phil Ridings: 1980–1983 Fred Bennett: 1983–1986 Malcolm Gray: 1986–1989 Colin Egar: 1989–1992 Alan Crompton: 1992–1995 Denis Rogers: 1995–2001 Robert Merriman: 2001–2005 Creagh O'Connor: 2005–2008 Jack Clarke: 2008–2011 Wally Edwards: 2011–2015 David Peever: 2015–2018 Earl Eddings: 2018–2021 Richard Freudenstein: 2021–2022 (interim) Lachlan Henderson: 2022–2023 Mike Baird: 2023–present
Secretaries & Chief Executive Officers John Portus: 1892–1896 John Creswell: 1896–1900 William McElhone: 1905–1910 Colin Sinclair: 1910–1911 Sydney Smith: 1911–1927 William Jeanes: 1927–1954 Jack Ledward: 1954–1960 Alan Barnes: 1960–1980 David Richards: 1980–1993 Graham Halbish: 1993–1997 Malcolm Speed: 1997–2001 James Sutherland: 2001–2018 Kevin Roberts: 2018–2020 Nick Hockley: 2020–2025 Todd Greenberg: 2025–present
National Selection Panel