The ACT Meteors are bracing for an interstate raid from Big Bash clubs who will need to bolster their squads for a new domestic tournament next season.
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In a frustrating change to the plan to grow the women's game, Cricket Australia has bowed to pressure from NSW and Victoria to change the structure of a competition it announced just three weeks ago.
The original plan was to add Twenty20 fixtures to the state-based WNCL to add more games to the domestic calendar while reducing the number of Big Bash matches.
But Cricket Australia has shifted its focus to have those Twenty20 games aligned with the eight Big Bash franchises, while also adding the Meteors to the competition.
On the surface it should be, and largely is, a major boost for female cricketers. The average domestic player wage will rise to $163,000 from next season.
The confusion and concerns in Canberra stem from uncertainty around the capital's place in the national landscape.
Big Bash franchises will need to add more players to their squads given international superstars - both Australian players and overseas recruits - won't take part in the new four-game T20 series.
The extra players will come from the 25 WNCL state players who did not have Big Bash deals next year. The bulk of those 25 players were Meteors.
![Holly Ferling, centre, celebrates a wicket last season. Picture by Keegan Carroll Holly Ferling, centre, celebrates a wicket last season. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j2iwCiKfwhVWJky39Vsdpt/2a57f5c1-0359-45bf-8958-a36b7b509298.jpg/r0_281_5496_3383_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
ACT captain Katie Mack is the only Canberra player with an existing Big Bash deal. Mack will play for the Adelaide Strikers, not the Meteors, in the new T20 competition.
The fact the Meteors are the only team without a direct line to the Big Bash has prompted concerns about player availability and how to juggle state and Big Bash needs.
But Cricket ACT is in a delicate position as the organisation pushes to have its own Big Bash franchises in the capital and a return to the Sheffield Shield.
Cricket Australia is still weighing up its plans for Big Bash expansion. Cricket ACT chairman Greg Boorer has made a compelling case for Canberra's inclusion in the coming years, but NSW and Victoria have voiced their opposition to capital expansion.
The Meteors already face stiff competition for talent and won just one of 12 games last season.
But Cricket Australia is confident the new T20 competition - which precedes the Big Bash - will grow the game and move players closer to full-time athletes.
"We are pleased to announce a new domestic T20 competition that will create more opportunities for elite female domestic players, while also complementing the optimised WBBL schedule," said Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley.
"Importantly this competition will increase payments to many players and take women's domestic cricket a step further toward full-time professionalism.
"Elite domestic cricket is the backbone of Australian cricket's ongoing success, and this competition will allow more domestic players the opportunity to gain top level experience and showcase their talents."