Shelley Nitschke has extended her contract to coach Australia’s women’s team until mid-2029, as she prepares her side for next month’s T20 World Cup in England. Nitschke’s new three-year contract that will ensure she remains at the helm across an action-packed upcoming period for the women’s game. The former Australia allrounder, who took over from Matthew Mott as head coach in 2022 on an initial four-year deal, will oversee the next four major global tournaments, including the 2026 and 2028 T20 World Cups, the inaugural
women’s Champions Trophy in 2027 and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The next three years will also see Australia travel to England for the Ashes in mid-2027, and host their fiercest rivals in early 2029, while they will also travel to South Africa and India for blockbuster multi-format tours in 2027. “It’s a privilege to continue coaching this team and working with such an outstanding group of players and staff,” Nitschke said in a statement. “We’ve achieved a great deal together, but there’s also
enormous motivation around what this group can accomplish in the years ahead. “There are some major events and exciting challenges on the horizon and I’m looking forward to helping guide the team through the next phase.” Nitschke found immediate success after her elevation from assistant coach to the top job in 2022 as Australia won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and followed up with a third consecutive T20 World Cup title in Cape Town in early 2023. In January 2025, they thrashed England
16-0 in the multi-format Ashes and have maintained their No.1 ranking in both white-ball formats (no Test rankings exist in the women’s game) across Nitschke’s tenure. However, Australia are desperate to restock their ICC trophy cabinet next month in the UK, following semi-final exits at the 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 ODI World Cup. “I am delighted Shelley will remain at the helm of the Australian team for the next three years,” CA CEO Todd Greenberg said. “Shelley has overseen some outstanding achievements and
helped ensure the team’s number one world ranking has been maintained throughout her time as coach. “She is also successfully guiding a period of transition with some brilliant young players joining the team from the large pool of women and girls now participating in our game.” Australia’s T20 World Cup squad will travel to the United Kingdom on Tuesday ahead of the tournament starting on June 13. They will meet South Africa in three unofficial practice matches at Arundel Castle over the coming week, before
travelling to Cardiff for warm-up matches against England and the West Indies at Sophia Gardens. ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Australia squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham. Travelling reserve: Tahlia Wilson Warm-up series v South Africa May 31: Australia v South Africa, Arundel Castle June 2: Australia v South Africa, Arundel Castle June 4: Australia v
South Africa, Arundel Castle ICC World Cup warm-up matches June 9: v England, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, 12am AEST June 11: v West Indies, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, 12am AEST Australia’s Group 1 fixtures June 13: v South Africa, Old Trafford, Manchester, 11:30pm AEST June 17: v Bangladesh, Headingley, Leeds, 7:30pm AEST June 20: v Netherlands, Rose Bowl, Hampshire, 7:30pm AEST June 24: v Pakistan, Headingley, Leeds, 3:30am AEST June 28: v India, Lord’s, London, 11:30pm AEST Semi-final 1: The Oval, London, June 30, 11:30pm AEST Semi-final
2: The Oval, London, July 2 (3:30am July 3 AEST) Final: Lord’s, London, July 5, 11:30pm AEST Click here for the full tournament schedule All matches will be broadcast on Amazon’s Prime Video
Shelley Nitschke, Australia women, T20 World Cup 2026, contract extension, Todd Greenberg, Commonwealth Games 2022, T20 World Cup Cape Town 2023, Ashes 2025, ICC trophy cabinet, Australia squad, Arundel Castle, Sophia Gardens, Old Trafford
Mid-2029 is so far away lol.
So she’s basically just gonna coach forever until 2029? And what does that even mean for the players, like do they get a say? Seems like England is always the problem anyway.
I saw “16-0” and I’m like wow that’s insane… but then the article says they want to “restock the trophy cabinet” after semi-final exits?? So did they just choke at some point or is it politics in cricket or something. Also Champions Trophy and Olympics… can they even fit that all in? Sounds exhausting.
Extension before the World Cup is smart I guess but also could backfire. Like if they lose next month everybody will suddenly act like she’s not the right coach. Plus “no Test rankings” for women… so how are they measuring anything besides vibes and streaks. Commonwealth gold and Cape Town title already, so I don’t get why they’re “desperate” like that’s new.