‘Feels Really Sad’: Ellyse Perry Raises Major Concern Over WPL Scheduling For Australia Women

Ellyse Perry has raised concerns about the scheduling of the Women’s Premier League and its impact on Australia’s women’s international calendar, arguing that the national team needs greater visibility during the peak Australian summer.

With Australia’s home internationals currently concentrated in October and February-March, Perry believes the team is missing an important opportunity to connect with supporters when cricket dominates the sporting landscape. Her comments come as Australia prepare for their home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, after winning their seventh Women’s T20 World Cup title earlier this year.

Ellyse Perry Wants Australia Women To Play In Peak Summer

Perry believes Australia’s women’s team should have a regular presence during the country’s biggest cricket months. She pointed to the limited opportunities the players currently have to perform in front of home supporters.

“Our exposure to playing at home is fairly limited. I think it would be amazing for us to continue to grow the game in Australia by playing in front of home fans at the height of Australian cricket summer,” Perry said.

She specifically highlighted the January window, which has increasingly become difficult to accommodate because of the WPL. The league moved from February-March into January from 2026, prompting Australia to shift major home commitments away from that period.

“The WPL has crept into the January window, which for me is the height of the Australian summer. For there not to be an opportunity for the Australian team to play in that window feels really sad in a lot of senses,” Perry added.

Australia’s current 2026-27 schedule has home ODIs against Bangladesh in October and T20Is against New Zealand later that month, before the next home internationals against New Zealand in February and March.

Perry Calls For A Different Path

Perry also stressed that women’s cricket should not simply replicate the scheduling model used for the men’s game. She wants administrators to consider the unique opportunities available to the women’s team.

“It’s going to be really important going forward to be proactive about how we see the game, how we schedule it, and not go down the same path or follow the same blueprint as men’s cricket.”

She added that the entire Australian team would welcome the chance to play during the heart of summer.

“The entire Australian [women’s] team would love to play in the height of an Australian summer. It’s when everyone turns their mind to cricket. There are some annual features there that people always looking forward to - whether that’s a Boxing Day Test or New Year’s Test.”

Cricket Australia has acknowledged the concerns, with CEO Todd Greenberg saying different playing windows for the women’s team are being explored.