Alana King awarded Cricket Australia contract

Legspinner Alana King has been given her first Cricket Australia contract, while left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux has been left out of the list after an injury-plagued 12 months. 

King featured in every single game during Australia's unbeaten Ashes and 50-over World Cup campaigns. Grace Harris and Amanda-Jade Wellington were also part of the triumphant World Cup squad in New Zealand but the two haven't been offered a central contract.

"Alana King came into the side during the Ashes and hasn't missed a beat, she produced match-winning performances across all three formats and thoroughly deserves her spot on the list," said Cricket Australia's Head of Performance (Women's Cricket) and National Selector, Shawn Flegler said. 

"After the loss of Georgia Wareham to injury, we were in a fortunate position to be able to replace her with another outstanding leg spinner in Alana. It's a real credit to Alana and the Australian Cricket system to have someone of her calibre waiting in the wings ready to go."

Meanwhile, Molineux was ruled out of the Ashes and World Cup because of a foot injury. "Sophie Molineux is unfortunate to miss out on a contract, she's been an important part of the side over the last couple of years.

"Unfortunately, she's missed a large amount of cricket due to various injuries, but we feel she can continue to play an important role with a more consistent run of matches. We'll continue to work with Sophie and have full confidence in her finding her way back into the squad."

Talking about other players, Flegler said: "Georgia Wareham and Tayla Vlaeminck retain their contracts which enables us to continue to support them on their return to play after suffering long-term injuries. Both are progressing well in their rehab, and we look forward to seeing them in action at some stage during the summer.

"We've had a core group of players performing well over the last 12 months which means some talented players have missed out, it's certainly made selection tough but we're in a fortunate position to have such depth across Australian Cricket.

"Players such as Stella Campbell, Amanda-Jade Wellington and Grace Harris have all played for Australia and contributed to the team's success recently, and along with Sophie, have the chance to earn upgrades with consistent performances."

Cricket Australia women's contract list, 2022-23: Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Meg Lanning, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham.