Australia v Windies: All you need to know

27 Sep 2023 Laura Jolly

Our ultimate guide for the Commbank T20I & ODI Series as the world champs host West Indies

Australia will launch the international season of cricket on Sunday when they host West Indies in the first of six white-ball matches.

It has been nine months since the Aussies last played on home soil, a period that saw them travel to South Africa to win a third consecutive T20 World Cup, before they retained the Ashes in England and won an ODI series in Ireland.

Alyssa Healy will become the second Australian woman to play 250 games for Australia when she leads her team out onto North Sydney Oval on Sunday.

The world's top-ranked team will look to continue their outstanding record against their Caribbean rivals across three T20Is and three ODIs in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

This is West Indies first bilateral series in Australia since 2014, making it a long-awaited return from Hayley Matthew's side.

What's the schedule?

It all begins in Sydney on Sunday, as Australia return to one of their favourite venues, North Sydney Oval.

The first two T20Is will be played at the iconic venue, before the action shifts to Brisbane, where the third T20I will be played under lights at Allan Border Field before the first of the three ODIs is staged at the same ground three days later.

Australia head south to Melbourne, where the final two ODIs will be played at Junction Oval.

Oct 1: First T20I, North Sydney Oval

Oct 2: Second T20I, North Sydney Oval

Oct 5: Third T20I, Allan Border Field, Brisbane

Oct 8: First ODI, Allan Border Field, Brisbane

Oct 12: Second ODI, Junction Oval, Melbourne

Oct 14: Third ODI, Junction Oval, Melbourne

How can I attend?

Tickets are now on sale HERE.

All tickets to women's matches are $20 and $5 for children, with a family pass on sale for $43, plus transaction fees.

How can I watch?

Every ball of the series will be broadcast live on the Seven Network and Fox Sports, and if you can't get to a TV, you can head to cricket.com.au or the CA Live app to sign up and stream via Kayo Sports.

And if you prefer to listen to your cricket, tune in to ABC Grandstand's radio coverage.

How else can I follow?

If you can't tune in live, or simply want to relive the action again and again – never fear!

You'll be able to catch up on all the highlights on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app, while our crew on the ground will bring you the latest news and video.

Catch a replay of every wicket in the CA Live app's match centre, while push notifications can alert you to all breaking news.

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You can also subscribe and tune into The Scoop Podcast, where hosts Emily Collin and Laura Jolly chat to the players and cover all the news you need to know.

For all the latest updates and behind-the-scenes action, and for player reactions after every match, be sure to follow @cricketcomau and the @AusWomenCricket social channels.

What are the squads?

Despite making her domestic return for Victoria this week, Meg Lanning is not part of Australia's squad to play West Indies.

Australia have named 13-player squads for both the three-match ODI and T20I series against the Windies to be played in early October.

The Australian squads are the same for both formats against West Indies, with the exception being that Grace Harris will only feature in the T20s before making way for Alana King in the ODIs.

Alyssa Healy will continue to lead after captaining the side that retained the Ashes in the UK over the winter.

Lanning was ruled out of the Ashes in May and then missed the subsequent ODI series in Ireland due to medical reasons and remains unavailable for national selection as determined by Cricket Australia's medical team.

Her return via state cricket is considered a significant step towards an eventual comeback for Australia.

Lanning returns with free-flowing fifty

The West Indies have named a squad brimming with youthful talent under the direction of a new Australian coach to spearhead their campaign against Australia.

Four teenagers from the Windies U19 side have been included in what will be the first series as Windies head coach for former South Australia wicketkeeper-batter Shane Deitz, who has taken on the role after Cricket West Indies moved on from Courtney Walsh earlier this year following a 2.5-year stint.

The 48-year-old Deitz played 66 first-class matches for South Australia after relocating there from Sydney in 1998 across a decade-long career. After retiring from playing he moved into coaching, with stints in New Zealand and Vanuatu before taking on women's roles with Bangladesh and the Netherlands before he took on the Windies job.

Again led by the experienced Hayley Matthews, Shemaine Campbelle and Stafanie Taylor, the squad features five players from the Barbados Royals team that won this year's Women's Caribbean Premier League tournament.

Former Windies U19 captain Ashmini Munisar, an off-spinner from Guyana, heads the new generation of talent coming through, having made her senior international debut in both white-ball formats for the Windies in their July home series against Ireland.

Trinidadian batter Djenaba Joseph, left-arm seamer Jannillea Glasgow from St Vincent & Grenadines and 18-year-old St Lucian Zaida James who bats at the top of the order and offers left-arm spin, will all offer a new challenge for the Australian outfit.

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20Is only), Jess Jonassen, Alana King (ODIs only), Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

West Indies squad: Hayley Matthews (c), Shemaine Campbelle (vc), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Jannillea Glasgow, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Djenaba Joseph, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams

The ODI Championship

ICC Women's Championship points will be on offer in the three-match ODI series. Running every four years, the Championship determines which five teams, alongside hosts India, gain automatic qualification for the 2025 World Cup.

This is Australia's third round of the new edition of the Championship and having won both previous editions, they will be eager to secure all six points on offer.

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The Aussies currently sit second on the table, having won six of nine ODIs in this cycle. They lost two one-dayers to England during the Ashes, and had a washout against Ireland in Dublin.

West Indies have played three rounds to far, against New Zealand, England and Ireland, and sit ninth on the table after winning three of those nine matches.

How's the recent form?

Australia find themselves in an unfamiliar position having lost two of their last three white-ball series. While their Test win in Nottingham was enough to ensure they retained the multi-format Ashes, they went down 2-1 to England in both the T20I and ODI legs. But the Aussies bounced back in style in Dublin immediately after, posting big wins in both completed ODIs after the first match of the series was washed out.

The Windies were last in action at home against Ireland in June where they whitewashed both of the three-game ODI and T20I series.

CommBank T20s v West Indies 2023

First T20: October 1, North Sydney Oval, 12pm AEDT

Second T20: October 2, North Sydney Oval, 7.05pm AEDT

Third T20: October 5, Allan Border Field, 7.05pm AEDT

CommBank ODIs v West Indies 2023

First ODI: October 8, Allan Border Field, 10.35am AEDT

Second ODI: October 12, Junction Oval, 10.05am AEDT

First ODI: October 14, Junction Oval, 10.05am AEDT