Cricket Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cricket Australia

Sport	Cricket
Jurisdiction	National
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	Nick Hockley
Men's coach	Andrew McDonald
Women's coach	Shelley Nitschke
Operating income	$99 million (2015 profit)
Sponsor	Platinum Partners: NRMA Insurance, Dettol Gold Partners: CommBank, KFC, Woolworths, Asics, Bet365, Qantas, Toyota, Foxtel, Kayo, Bundaberg, HCLTech Silver Partners: Gatorade, Marsh, Nu-Pure
Official website

Cricket Australia (CA), once called the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the main group that looks after professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It started in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Cricket'.

Cricket Australia runs all of Australia's national cricket teams. This includes the men's, women's, and youth teams. They also manage other national teams, like those for Indigenous players or players with disabilities. CA also plans and hosts big international matches in Australia. These include Test matches, one day internationals, and T20 internationals.

About Cricket Australia

Cricket Australia is the main organisation that manages cricket across Australia. It works with six member groups, one for each Australian state. These groups help run cricket in their areas.

The state cricket organisations are:

• 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 non-member groups like Cricket ACT and Northern Territory Cricket. Even though they are not full members, teams from these areas play in some Cricket Australia tournaments.

Cricket Australia is led by nine independent directors. The chief executive officer works under the guidance of this board. Each state cricket group also picks teams to play in Australia's main domestic cricket tournaments every season.

Teams and Tournaments

Cricket Australia organises many exciting tournaments for teams from different states and territories. These events help find and develop new cricket stars.

Here are the main teams that play in national tournaments:

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

History of Cricket Australia

The first group to manage cricket in Australia was set up in 1892. It was called the Australasian Cricket Council. This group included representatives from New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria. However, this council broke up in 1898.

What we now know as Cricket Australia started in 1905. It was first called the "Australian Board of Control for International Cricket." Before this, trips by Australian teams to England were organised by private groups or the players themselves. Also, invitations for English teams to visit Australia were made by private promoters or clubs.

One important thing the Australasian Cricket Council did was create the Sheffield Shield. This was the first major cricket competition between the Australian colonies.

Leaders in cricket wanted to use some of the money from these tours to help struggling clubs. So, in January 1905, discussions began in Sydney to form a new group. This group would take control of tours from the players. The first meeting of the new board happened in Melbourne on May 6, 1905.

The first members were the New South Wales and Victorian cricket associations. South Australia did not join at first because players were not represented on the board. Queensland joined as an observer.

Queensland officially joined the next year, in 1906. The rules were changed so that New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria each had three representatives. Queensland had one. Later, Tasmania (1907) and Western Australia (1913) also joined with one representative each.

In 2001, Cricket Australia started the National Indigenous Cricket Advisory Committee. This committee helps support Indigenous cricket in Australia.

How the Name Changed

Cricket Australia has had three 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)

Cricket Competitions

Besides managing Australia's international teams, Cricket Australia also runs many important cricket competitions within Australia. These competitions are key for players to develop their skills and for fans to enjoy the game.

Some of the main competitions include:

• Marsh Sheffield Shield: This is the top men's competition for longer matches (called first-class cricket). It has been running since 1892/93.
• Marsh One-Day Cup (men) and the Women's National Cricket League: These are the main one-day competitions.
• KFC Big Bash League (men) and the Weber Women's Big Bash League (women): These are popular Twenty20 (T20) competitions. Teams in these leagues are franchises, not state teams.

Cricket Australia also organises championships for younger players. These include the Under 19 and Under 17 Male Championships. There are also Under 18 and Under 15 Female National Championships. Other important events are the National Indigenous Cricket Championships and the National Cricket Inclusion Championships.

Awards and Honours

Cricket Australia gives out awards to recognise great players. These awards celebrate their skills and hard work in cricket.

Some of the awards for male players include:

• Test Player of the Year
• One-Day Player of the Year
• Bradman Young Player of the Year
• Domestic Player of the Year
• The Allan Border Medal: This is for the best Australian men's cricketer of the year.

For female players, there are awards like:

• The Belinda Clark Award: For the best Australian women's cricketer of the year.
• Betty Wilson Young Player of the Year
• Domestic Player of the Year

Cricket Australia also honours players who have given a lot to the game. They add these special former players to the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame every year.

Leaders of Cricket Australia

Cricket Australia has had many important leaders over the years. These people help guide the sport in Australia.

Chairmen

The Chairman leads the board of directors. Some well-known chairmen include:

• Lawrence Adamson: 1905–1906
• Aubrey Oxlade: Served several terms, including 1927–1930 and 1945–1948.
• Sir Donald Bradman: A famous cricketer who also served as chairman from 1960–1963 and 1969–1972.
• Mike Baird: The current chairman, starting in 2023.

Secretaries & Chief Executive Officers

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) manages the daily operations of Cricket Australia.

• William Jeanes: Served for a long time from 1927–1954.
• James Sutherland: Was CEO from 2001–2018.
• Nick Hockley: The current CEO, starting in 2020.

National Selection Panel

This group picks the players for all of Australia's national cricket teams.

• For the men's teams, the panel includes George Bailey (chairman) and Andrew McDonald (head coach).
• For the women's teams, the panel includes Shawn Flegler (chairman) and Matthew Mott (head coach).

Board of Directors

Cricket Australia is guided by nine directors. They work together to make decisions that are best for Australian cricket. The chief executive officer reports to this board.

See also

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