The road to get here has been a long and arduous one — a journey filled with numerous stalemates, continual negotiations between ACA, CA and the players. And as and when any change happens from a sporting point of view, the MoU gets amended accordingly. For example, the MoU was amended last October following the reduction of Women’s Big Bash League games from 14 to ten. To compensate for the number of matches, women’s T20 Spring Challenge Competition was introduced which also saw domestic female player earnings increased by up to $7,000.

A life member of the ACA, Matthews’ two decades of administrative experience, including 12 years as WACA CEO will come in handy in taking the ACA forward. In her time at the ACA, the former cricketer was at the forefront of the transformation in WACA, including the establishment of The Perth Stadium which had its share of opposition within the community.

“One of the key things I’ve learned in my time is you never say no to anything until you have really examined what the opportunities are. That enabled us to shift international cricket to the new stadium and bring a real growth to the game in WA as well as the redevelopment of the WACA. There’s plenty of people who will tell you things can’t be done, but you’ve got to be open to new ideas, new opportunities, and examine them before you dismiss them,” says Matthews.