Is Australia’s most dominant era over? The next generation can prove it’s not

Australian cricket great Jess Jonassen insists the nation’s stranglehold on the women’s game is far from over, and the next generation of prospects will prove it.

The veteran all-rounder was not chosen for the recent One-Day World Cup campaign – in which they failed to reach the final for just the fourth time – despite her standing as a 2022 champion and five-time T20 World Cup winner.

After India and South Africa reached the final, and with more professional systems being implemented in those countries, Jonassen sensed the gap was narrowing.

Australia has now been bundled out in the semi-finals of the past two World Cups, including last year’s T20 showcase.

She said the current group had higher expectations to live up to, coming equipped with six of nine T20 World Cup trophies and seven of 13 ODI tournaments.

“Once teams are starting to beat that Australian side, the team almost loses that unbeaten aura. I feel for the current group of players in some respects, because it’s a lot to live up to,” Jonassen said.

“You want to win all the time, but the reality of sport is you’re not going to.

“It’s just for a period we were so dominant and almost untouchable.

“You’ve had departures of generational talent over the last couple of years, so there are some young girls coming through who are really stamping their authority.

“There’s obviously a bit of disappointment for the girls who were over in India for the 50-over, but there’s a lot of talent in Australian cricket.”

Jonassen has not featured in the canary yellow since 2023, but has put her hand up for the 2026 T20 World Cup in England.

She will mount her case once the WBBL campaign gets under way on November 9, with her Brisbane Heat taking on the Melbourne Renegades at Allan Border Field.

Jonassen, Australia’s fifth-leading ODI wicket-taker (141), will be joined by Grace Harris by the second week of the campaign, whose calf injury ended her ODI World Cup campaign before it could begin.

“That’s life, it’s not the first World Cup I’ve missed – coincidentally the first one I missed was a T20 one, and it was for a calf as well,” Harris said.

Harris spent the winter in England fine-tuning but was unhappy with her past performances there.

She believed there was no reason to suggest Australia’s juggernaut days were over, having won 16 of 18 official fixtures in 2025.

“It looked a little sloppy, and we weren’t on it on the day,” she said of the semi-final loss to India.

“But it’s always good to reflect and learn from those things. I think the T20 World Cup is a pretty good example – we bowed out in the semi-final, and since then, have we lost one yet?

“You reinforce how you want to play, the risk you want to take and the style of cricket.

“I can see it as just a bad game – you’re going to lose one every now and then. You are still human, so, yes, there is a chance anyone can win on the day, but I still think the Australian women’s cricket team is the best and most formidable team in world cricket.”

The next crop

Asked who the next stars would be to spearhead Australia’s surge back to the top of world cricket, Jonassen nodded with the answer in mind.

“Easy top three - Charli Knott, Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton,” she said.

The Queensland trio was set to become focal points of the Australian set-up for the next decade, and join the likes of star opener Phoebe Litchfield – who cracked a century in the semi-final defeat – as the faces of a powerhouse.

“She loves playing against India, she actually bats very well in India – there’s not a lot she did wrong all tournament,” Harris said of Litchfield, before throwing Georgia Voll’s name into the mix.

But Jonassen said it was more than the ability the aforementioned trio brought to the table, describing Knott as an “unflappable character” and Hamilton “wise beyond her years”.

“It’s going to be super exciting to see where those three end up,” Jonassen said, “and it’s highly likely going to be in Australian colours in the not-too-distant future”.

“Winning always covers problems. It’s when you lose suddenly and all the problems arise. Losing initiates change more than the winning does,” Harris said.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.