Flintoff's promotion beyond the numbers: 'Something about her'

Australia's selectors looked beyond the numbers in handing allrounder Tess Flintoff her first central contract as they aim to "future proof" the national side, conceding that her returns alone could raise questions about the decision.

The uncapped Flintoff was the most notable inclusion on the 18-player list, becoming the first player to be added to the women's contracts list without having made her debut since Beth Mooney and Grace Harris in 2015-16.

It also comes after a season where her bowling returns across both the WBBL for Melbourne Stars (three wickets in nine matches) and WNCL for Victoria (eight wickets at 59.25) have been underwhelming although she finished the season strongly with five wickets for Australia A in the four-day game against England A.

Flintoff, who as a 19-year-old struck the fastest WBBL fifty off 16 balls in 2022, also had a lean season with the bat for Stars but finished productively in the WNCL.

"Certainly looking at her performances, you'd go, why?," national selector Shawn Flegler said. "She hasn't really banged the door down with wickets or anything, but there's something about her that's probably a little bit different, and if you just go by numbers alone, then that's not really selection. It's trying to find a little bit extra that you see in a player, and we think Tess has got that."

Flintoff was called into the Australia squad as cover during a tour of Ireland in 2023 and has regularly featured for the A side. Her elevation to the contract list suggests she has a chance to force herself into World Cup plans over the next 12 months.

"We've always thought she's got some attributes as an allrounder that are pretty exciting, the way she shapes the ball back in at some good pace. She hits the ball pretty well, she's a good athlete, so she's very good in the field," Flegler said.

"I guess it's probably future-proofing the squad a little bit. We've got a number of white-ball tournaments over the next few years, obviously the ODI World Cup coming up at the back end of this year, and then we go to a T20 World Cup in June next year. So it's looking at the squad and seeing what we need in the future, and I guess giving Tess an opportunity to be in and around this group a little bit more."

The recently-completed season has seen Australia dip into the next generation. Georgia Voll, who was also handed her first full contract, had a standout debut international season while wicketkeeper Nicole Faltum and allrounder Charli Knott were part of the T20I squad in New Zealand.

Flegler said both Faltum and Knott were in contract discussions with Knott, especially, having made a strong case with her WNCL and Australia A performances. Knott captained Australia A to a final-over victory in the red-ball game against England A, scoring 52 and 123 before claiming the winning wicket.

"Charli's had a great season, and she certainly capped it off with a great game in the four-day game in particular," Flegler said. "She's certainly in discussions, and Nic had that opportunity to go to New Zealand, and we think there's a group of keepers that we're keeping an eye on over the next little while.

"Charli could probably feel a little bit unlucky not to be in the squad of 18, but like everyone, if there's an opportunity there for her to play, then she can still play from outside the squad."

In terms of players currently recovering from injury, Flegler said that the hope was that allrounder Sophie Molineux would be available for the ODI World Cup in September following the knee injury which kept her out of the Ashes and New Zealand tour.

Fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck, who suffered another shoulder injury early in last year's T20 World Cup, continues to be a longer-term recovery. The current target is to have her back for the WBBL in November with the 2026 T20 World Cup in England viewed as realistic target for an international comeback, although if she tracks well she could be considered for the India and West Indies series early in the year.