Maddy Darke and Lilly Mills have both been selected to represent Australia A in a multi-format women’s A series across Queensland in August to kick-start a blockbuster summer that will see Australia take on four separate Indian sides over the course of the season.
Rising stars selected for Australia A series
The Australian Women’s Team will face India in the CommBank ODI Series in December, while a men’s A series will be followed by the highly anticipated NRMA Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series beginning in November.
National selectors have named three separate squads for the women’s A series that will feature a trio of T20s in Brisbane, three 50-over matches in Mackay and a four-day clash on the Gold Coast.
Darke has been selected in the squad for all three formats, while Mills has been rewarded for her strong showing in last season's Green v Gold three-day fixture, by being picked for the red-ball component of the series.
Both Darke and Mills produced consistent performances for Western Australia in the Women's National Cricket League in 2023-24, with Darke (458 runs at 50.88) placing sixth on the competition's leading run-scorers list while Mills (18 wickets at 20.72) finished as her side's leading wicket-taker for a second consecutive season.
Australia A Squads
T20 Squad
Maddy Darke (WA/Perth Scorchers/Subiaco-Floreat CC)
Sophie Day (VIC/Mebourne Stars/Prahran CC)
Nicole Faltum (VIC/Melbourne Stars/Dandenong CC) (wk)
Tess Flintoff (VIC/Melbourne Stars/Ringwood CC)
Kim Garth (VIC/Melbourne Stars/Dandenong CC)
Charli Knott (QLD/Brisbane Heat/University of Queensland CC) (vc)
Katie Mack (ACT/Adelaide Strikers/Weston Creek Molonglo CC)
Tahlia McGrath (SA/Adelaide Strikers/Glenelg CC) (c)
Grace Parsons (QLD/Brisbane Heat/Western Suburbs CC)
Megan Schutt (SA/Adelaide Strikers/Sturt CC)
Courtney Sippel (QLD/Brisbane Heat/Western Suburbs CC)
Tayla Vlaeminck (VIC/Mebourne Renegades/Plenty Valley CC)
Tahlia Wilson (NSW/Sydney Thunder/St George-Sutherland CC)
50-over Squad
Maitlan Brown (NSW/Sydney CC) *2nd & 3rd matches only
Maddy Darke (WA/Subiaco-Floreat CC)
Sophie Day (VIC/Prahran CC)
Nicole Faltum (VIC/Dandenong CC) (wk)
Tess Flintoff (VIC/Ringwood CC)
Kim Garth (VIC/Dandenong CC)
Charli Knott (QLD/University of Queensland CC) (vc)
Katie Mack (ACT/Weston Creek Molonglo CC)
Tahlia McGrath (SA/West Torrens) (c)
Grace Parsons (QLD/Western Suburbs CC)
Megan Schutt (SA/Sturt CC) *1st match only
Courtney Sippel (QLD/Western Suburbs CC)
Tayla Vlaeminck (VIC/Plenty Valley CC)
Tahlia Wilson (NSW/St George-Sutherland CC)
Four-Day Squad
Maitlan Brown (NSW/Sydney CC)
Maddy Darke (WA/Subiaco-Floreat CC) (wk)
Sophie Day (VIC/Prahran CC)
Emma de Broughe (SA/Sturt CC)
Nicole Faltum (VIC/Dandenong CC) (wk) (vc)
Tess Flintoff (VIC/Ringwood CC)
Charli Knott (QLD/University of Queensland CC) (c)
Katie Mack (ACT/Weston Creek Molonglo CC)
Lilly Mills (WA/Midland-Guildford CC)
Grace Parsons (QLD/Western Suburbs CC)
Kate Peterson (SA/Glenelg CC)
Courtney Sippel (QLD/Western Suburbs CC)
Georgia Voll (QLD/Sandgate-Redcliffe CC)
Women’s Australia A v India A Series
7 August: First T20, 1pm, Allan Border Field
9 August: Second T20, 1pm, Allan Border Field
11 August: Third T20, 1pm, Allan Border Field
14 August: First 50-over match, 9:30am, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay
16 August: Second 50-over match, 1:20pm, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay
18 August: Third 50-over match, 1:20pm, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay
22-25 August: Four-day match, 9:30am, Gold Coast District Cricket Club