ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup Looms Large as Under 19 Female Championships Get Underway

Perth, Dec 1 - The highly anticipated Australian Under-19 Female Championships is set to kick off from December 2 to 9, with the spotlight firmly fixed on the players vying for a spot in next January's ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup in Malaysia.

Cricket Australia has announced the schedule for the 2024-25 National Talent Pathway Championships, featuring four underage national tournaments - Under-19 Female, Under-19 Male, Under-16 Female, and Under-17 Male. The U19 Female National Championships are the first of the four tournaments to be held across December and January.

Fifteen-year-old Saoirse Brady is certain to generate buzz despite having already made an impact in the ongoing WBBL|10 with Sydney Sixers, representing the Young Matildas football team as a goalkeeper this year. Brady also represented NSW Country in last year's cricket tournament and was part of the Australian U19 squad for the tri-series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka in September.

The event will see the likes of Ines McKeon from Melbourne Stars, who has represented France in 16 T20Is, and Chloe Ainsworth from Western Australia also feature. The inclusion of both players adds an extra layer of excitement to the tournament, with Ainsworth having already made a mark on the global stage by representing Australia in the U19 Women's World Cup in 2023.

The tournament criteria requires players to be under the age of 19 on August 31, 2024, making Ainsworth eligible two weeks before her actual birthday. The left-hand bowler will aim to make up for lost time as she seeks a spot in the U19 Women's World Cup team set to tour Malaysia next year.

The Under-17 Male tournament will take place at Launceston, while the U16 Female National Championships will also return to Ballarat.

"We are thrilled that our players have another opportunity to represent their states and territories in these underage championships," said Sonya Thompson, Cricket Australia's Head of National Development. "There has been an impressive record of players progressing from our underage championships into elite competitions, and we look forward to witnessing the growth of this year's group."

Broadcast details for each tournament are yet to be confirmed.

The stage is now set for a thrilling U19 Female National Championships that promises to deliver exciting performances from the young stars on the rise in Australian cricket.