Among the aspirations of a new action plan for women’s cricket in Australia is to ensure the WBBL holds its place as the most competitive T20 league in the world. And a key cog is that a reduction in matches will ultimately benefit the competition.

Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said the decision to abbreviate the competition to bring it into line with the length of the BBL season will ensure the league remains pre-eminent in women’s cricket.

It follows feedback from a number of Australia’s leading international players who stated that with the calendar being busier than ever, there was no longer a need for the competition to be as elongated as it has been in the past.

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By reducing the WBBL to 40 games, CA should be able to maximise the talent competing in the tournament while minimising scheduling issues which saw some matches played in the middle of the week on suburban grounds with few fans.

As part of the Women and Girls Action Plan, which was launched at the MCG on Tuesday with lofty aspirations for the next decade, CA will introduce another T20 league to give domestic cricketers an opportunity to play more regularly.

This will see the average wage for women’s cricketers increase by eight percent to $163,322 for the 2024-25 season.

“It is really about seeking to ensure that every WBBL game is an elite proposition that can be seen by as many people as possible. With the schedule as it’s been over recent seasons, we have had matches in the afternoon midweek, where everyone is at school and at work,” Hockley said.

“What this allows us to do is to really optimise that schedule. And with the additional domestic opportunities that we’ve announced today, it gives those that potentially have been in the broader WBBL squads, but not getting regular game time, to get more T20 opportunities and really make their case for higher honours.

“So I think the WBBL has been the best, most competitive, domestic T20 competition in the world for elite female players and we want to make sure it stays that way.”

Champion cricketer Ellyse Perry believes the move is a good one given the changing nature of the sport, with the opportunities to play internationally expanding each year.

“I think the chance to optimise the WBBL this season was a really important one for what was spoken about in terms of attendances, being able to stage games at appropriate times (and) maximise opportunities with TV and broadcast,” she said.

“And then … as an offshoot of that, the reduction of WBBL has really allowed us to give girls who are playing state cricket even more of an opportunity to play matches (with an additional competition).

“With that comes an increase in remuneration, which means that we’re providing girls with a chance to earn more money across the season. It is another great step in the right direction in terms of a fully professional domestic game.

“With those things considered, it’s a really good step and one that’s relevant for such a crowded schedule this year and I’m sure those things will continue to develop as the landscape changes.”

Former Australian wicketkeeper Christine Matthews, who recently finished a lengthy stint as chief executive of the WACA, said the move would help grow the number of professional cricketers across the country and provide an incentive for talented girls and women.

“One of the successes of the programs for me, coming from a state perspective, is ensuring our state players become full-time, fully paid athletes as well,” she said.

“They train full time now, but they’re just not paid full time, but because they want to be the best they can be, they don’t want to be distracted by having a job. The pay they get is very good, but it’s not considered full time.”

Hockley said CA will look to expand the number of WBBL matches held in major stadiums under the new action plan.

“We certainly thought last season that the ‘stadium series’ was a great start, a great move in the right direction,” he said.

“We’d love to see the ‘stadium series’ be as big as it possibly can be and, ultimately, where we want to get to is that we’re not talking about a ‘stadium series’, we’re just talking about Big Bash Cricket, (with) women’s and men’s (matches) in the magnificent stadiums that we have in this country.”