Nicola Carey

Nicola Carey's story could yet be a career of two halves with the pace-bowling allrounder having made the call to decline a central contract and then earning her way to a recall through the weight of her domestic performances.

Having twice been around World Cup squads in 2012 and 2016 as a replacement player, Carey eventually made her international debut in 2018 with her nibbling seam bowling often proving effective. She featured in the home 2020 T20 World Cup and in one match during the 2022 ODI edition.

However, given the depth of Australian cricket she also spent considerable time around squads but not playing and eventually carrying the drinks made her take the call to decline a CA contract in 2023 in order to be consistently available for domestic cricket.

"I'd made peace that if it [representing Australia] didn't happen, I was so okay with it," she would later say.

It paid rich dividends. In her first season after the decision, she plundered 696 runs in the WNCL and has since evolved her game, especially in the T20 format, with an increased array of variations with the ball (where she has become a new-ball option) and more power with the bat. During that time Tasmania had considerable success while Hobart Hurricanes secured a maiden WBBL title.

The selectors took note, recalling her to face India and West Indies in early 2026 - with her batting impressive in the latter series - and she earned a place for that year's T20 World Cup.