Cricket Australia unveils 2023-24 domestic fixtures

Women's cricket's expansion into Australia's top-tier stadiums will continue in this summer's Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) with South Australia to host a fixture at Adelaide Oval for the first time in 13 years.

Following yesterday's Weber WBBL|09 schedule release that featured a bumper weekend with matches at Adelaide Oval, SCG and MCG to close out the regular season, Cricket Australia has today unveiled the 2023-24 domestic schedule which sees the Scorpions play Victoria at the iconic Adelaide venue in a day-night fixture on January 29 next year.

FULL WNCL SCHEDULE

FULL MARSH SHEFFIELD SHIELD SCHEDULE

FULL MARSH ONE-DAY CUP SCHEDULE

The fixture is just five days before the venue also hosts Australia's all-conquering women's team as they begin the three-match ODI leg of their multi-format series against South Africa on February 3.

South Australia last played a match at Adelaide Oval in January 2011 when a side featuring current Scorpions and Australia fast bowler Megan Schutt went down to NSW by five wickets.

"We are confident that scheduling games at a mixture of major stadiums and smaller venues will provide the best possible experiences for players and fans," said Peter Roach, CA's Head of Cricket Operations and Scheduling.

"The outstanding performances of our world champion Australian men's and women's teams continue to be underpinned by the strength of our domestic cricket, with several young stars emerging from elite domestic competitions in recent times, as well as players fighting their way back to national honours after strong domestic performances."

Australia's Test hopefuls will get a chance to push their case for selection when a men’s 'A' side hosts New Zealand A for two four-day and three 50-over matches across Allan Border Field and Great Barrier Reef Arena in Queensland in August-September.

The two A sides last played each other in Lincoln on New Zealand's South Island in April where Matthew Renshaw's twin centuries helped book him a ticket to England as part of the squad for the first two Tests of Australia's ongoing Ashes campaign.

Those same hopefuls will also get another chance to impress in a Prime Minister's XI against Pakistan at Manuka Oval nine days' out from the first Test against Australia at Perth Stadium.

Renshaw hit a century in last year's drawn PM's XI clash with the West Indies, while back-to-back half-centuries by Peter Handscomb and an impressive spell of 3-27 from 22 overs by Todd Murphy helped the trio earn selection in Australia's Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India in February-March.

The Marsh Sheffield Shield will kick off with a rematch of last summer's final with dual reigning champions Western Australia hosting Victoria at the WACA from October 4-7.

It will be the third straight Shield match the two sides have played at the WACA – with the results split one win apiece, with WA winning the second and most important of those two matches to lift the Sheffield Shield for the 17th time.

After going winless in the Shield for just the second time in the 130-year history, NSW will play all of their home games in Sydney in 2023-24 under new head coach Greg Shipperd with three matches at the SCG and two at their new Cricket Central facility in Sydney Olympic Park.

NSW played Shield matches in Wollongong (a rain-affected draw with SA) and Albury (a 10-wicket loss to Victoria) last season but Shipperd flagged a change in approach after being appointed to the full-time role in May.

"I am a strong believer that we have a strong presence at the SCG and at Cricket Central," he said.

"It's so players can understand the conditions, the winds and the environment. You need to have your own benefits in your own state from time to time.

"Finding (an) edge a few per cent … it can have a difference in winning or losing matches."

Australia's all-format men's stars may find it hard to fit in any red-ball match practice prior to the opening Test of the summer against Pakistan in Perth from December 14-18, with five T20 internationals in India to follow the ODI World Cup that concludes in November 19 in Ahmedabad.

A two-Test and three-T20 tour of New Zealand then follows the men's home international summer in February-March, meaning Australia's all-format and white-ball representatives will have few opportunities to turn out for their states in 2023-24.

It's a similar scenario facing Australia's top female players who may only be available for the first round of the WNCL season, which will be held from September 22-28, given their packed summer schedule.

The Aussies will host the West Indies for T20Is and ODIs in October, and depart for an all-format tour of India in December and January, which will then be followed by another multi-format series, this time at home, against South Africa from January 26 to February 18.

Other 2023-24 domestic schedule highlights include:

– Thirteen Marsh One-Day Cup games, including the final, to be shown live and exclusive on Foxtel, as well as the final of the Marsh Sheffield Shield and WNCL. All games will also be live streamed on Kayo Sports and cricket.com.au.

– Tasmania to begin their pursuit of a WNCL threepeat against ACT after last season’s dramatic final against South Australia.

– Six rounds of Sheffield Shield action before the first NRMA Insurance Test against Pakistan.

– A domestic cricket match is set to be played at Sydney's Cricket Central for the first time on September 22 when NSW takes on Queensland in the WNCL. This will be followed by NSW women's team hosting the touring West Indies on September 28 and NSW hosting Sheffield Shield matches against Queensland (October 4-7) and SA (March 1-4).

– Back-to-back white ball finals on the one weekend with the WNCL final on February 24 followed by the Marsh Cup Final on February 25.