Cricket Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cricket Australia

Sport	Cricket
Jurisdiction	Australia
Abbreviation	CA
Founded	1905; 120 years ago (1905)
Affiliation	International Cricket Council
Affiliation date	1909; 116 years ago (1909)
Regional affiliation	East Asia-Pacific
Affiliation date	1996; 29 years ago (1996)
Headquarters	Jolimont, Melbourne, Australia
Chairman	Mike Baird (from Feb 2023)
CEO	Todd Greenberg
Men's coach	Andrew McDonald
Women's coach	Shelley Nitschke
Operating income	$99 million (2015 profit)
Sponsor	Principal Partner: Westpac Platinum Partners: NRMA Insurance, KFC, Toyota Gold Partners: Woolworths, Asics, Bet365, Qantas, Liqourland, Aussie Broadband, HCLTech Silver Partners: Gatorade, Marsh, Kookaburra, Nu-Pure
Official website

Cricket Australia (CA) is the main organization that runs professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It started in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Cricket'. CA helps manage all of Australia's national cricket teams. This includes the men's, women's, and youth teams.

Cricket Australia also organizes and hosts big international matches. These include Test matches, one day internationals, and T20 internationals. They work with other countries to schedule these exciting games.

About Cricket Australia

Cricket Australia is in charge of cricket across the country. It works with six main cricket groups. These groups represent each of Australia's states:

• 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

There are also other cricket groups, like Cricket ACT and Northern Territory Cricket. Even though they are not full members, they still play in some Cricket Australia tournaments.

Cricket Australia is led by a group of nine independent directors. The chief executive officer, who is like the main boss, reports to this group. Each state cricket group also picks a team to play in Australia's big cricket tournaments every year.

National Cricket Teams

Cricket Australia manages several national teams that represent Australia on the world stage.

Men's Teams

• Test Team: The Australian men's Test team played in the very first Test match in 1877. They have become one of the most successful Test teams ever. As of August 2025, Pat Cummins is the captain of the Test team.
• White-Ball Teams: Australia played its first One-Day International (ODI) in 1971. The team has won many big tournaments, including five World Cups. As of August 2025, Pat Cummins leads the ODI team, and Mitchell Marsh is the captain for the T20 International (T20I) team.

Women's Team

• The Australian women's team played their first Test match in 1934. They have won many Women's World Cups and T20 World Cups. As of August 2025, the team is captained by Alyssa Healy.

Youth Teams

• Under-19 Teams: Both the men's U-19 and women's U-19 teams play in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cups. In 2024, Hugh Weibgen was the captain for the men's team.

Other National Teams

• Reserves (A Team): The Australia A team is like a second-tier men's team. It helps develop new players and gives them experience through tours and practice matches.
• Disability Teams: Cricket Australia wants everyone to be able to play cricket. They support teams for players with disabilities, including the Blind cricket team. These teams play in national and international games.

Domestic Cricket Teams

Each state in Australia has its own cricket teams that play in national competitions.

Cricket Australia also works closely with the Australian Cricketers' Association. This group helps make sure players have fair rights, good support, and proper pay.

Major Cricket Tournaments

Cricket Australia organizes several exciting tournaments each year for both men and women.

Cricket Australia also runs other championships. These include competitions for Under 17 males, Under 18 and Under 15 females, and the National Indigenous Cricket Championships. They also organize the National Cricket Inclusion Championships for players with disabilities.

History of Cricket Australia

The first group to manage cricket in Australia was formed in 1892. It was called the Australasian Cricket Council. This group helped create the Sheffield Shield, which is a very old and important cricket competition.

However, the Australasian Cricket Council ended in 1898. Then, in 1905, the "Australian Board of Control for International Cricket" was created. This new group is what we now know as Cricket Australia. Before this, cricket tours were often organized by players or private groups. The new board wanted to make things more organized and help cricket clubs.

The first meeting of the new board happened in Melbourne on May 6, 1905. At first, only New South Wales and Victoria were full members. South Australia and Queensland joined later. Tasmania joined in 1907, and Western Australia in 1913. Over the years, the way states were represented on the board changed.

In 2001, Cricket Australia started a special committee called the National Indigenous Cricket Advisory Committee (NICAC). This committee helps support and grow cricket among Indigenous Australians.

How the Name Changed

Cricket Australia has had a few different names since it started:

• Australian Board of Control for International Cricket (ABC) (1905–1973)
• Australian Cricket Board (ACB) (1973–2003)
• Cricket Australia (CA) (2003–present)

Money Matters

In 2015, Cricket Australia made about $380.9 million. They had a profit of $99 million that year. This was largely because they helped host the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, which was a big success!

Cricket Australia Awards

Cricket Australia gives out special awards to players who do really well.

Awards for Male Players

• Test Player of the Year: For the best player in Test matches.
• One-Day Player of the Year: For the best player in one-day matches.
• Bradman Young Player of the Year: For a promising young player.
• Domestic Player of the Year: For the best player in Australian domestic competitions.
• Allan Border Medal: This is the biggest award for the overall best Australian men's cricketer of the year.

Awards for Female Players

• Belinda Clark Award: This is the top award for the best Australian women's cricketer of the year.
• Betty Wilson Young Player of the Year: For a promising young female player.
• Domestic Player of the Year: For the best player in Australian domestic competitions.

Cricket Australia also honors players who have made a huge difference to the game. They add these great players to the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame every year.

Leaders of Cricket Australia

Cricket Australia has had many important leaders over the years.

Current Chairman

• Mike Baird has been the Chairman since February 2023.

Current Chief Executive Officer

• Todd Greenberg has been the Chief Executive Officer since 2024.

National Selection Panel

This group is very important because they choose the players for all of Australia's national cricket teams.

• Men's Teams: The current panel includes George Bailey (who is the chairman of the panel), Andrew McDonald (the head coach), and Tony Dodemaide.
• Women's Teams: The current panel includes Shawn Flegler (chairman), Matthew Mott (head coach), Avril Fahey, and Julie Hayes.

See also

• Australian national cricket team
• Australia national women's cricket team
• Cricket in Australia