Australian leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington is making headlines, declaring her plans to step away from international cricket, preferring the life of a franchise player instead. In a candid conversation, she explained her motivations clearly: mental health, personal fulfillment, and the joy of franchise cricket are her top priorities.
At 28, Wellington is part of an emerging generation that sees franchise cricket as a viable, even preferable, alternative to playing international cricket. “Personally, I think I’ve made the decision to stop playing international cricket,” Wellington said on ESPN Cricinfo’s Powerplay podcast. “If there was ever an opportunity to play, I think I would personally prioritise franchise cricket over that.
“I know it’s tough to say, but that’s something I really enjoy playing and it brings out the best of me in terms of personality and enjoyment. That’s one thing I’ve got to put first is my mental health and the way I play franchise cricket, the feeling and just being involved in it, is just a whole new level.
“Don’t get me wrong, playing for Australia is amazing and it’s such an achievement. But to be able to travel the world, fly to different places, play a sport you love and just create bonds with so many different people and different franchises – the amount of people I’ve met – it’s ridiculous.”
Since the 2022 World Cup, the last of her 14 ODIs, Wellington hasn’t played for Australia. Being a part of the Commonwealth Games squad later that year she wasn’t able to add to her 8 international appearances. She also has a solitary Test cap, having produced a Shane Warne-esque ball-of-the-century-style legbreak to remove Tammy Beaumont during the 2017 Women’s Ashes.
Despite her international hiatus since the 2022 ODI World Cup, Wellington has cemented her reputation as a global franchise standout. She has plied her trade across multiple clubs, domestic, teams; Adelaide Strikers’ in the Women’s Big Bash League (Australia), Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave, and Manchester Originals in The Hundred (England), Barbados Royals in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (West Indies).
Wellington’s outlook shifted over time: “I absolutely love playing for Australia,” she said. “I’ve won a gold medal, I’ve won World Cups, and I’ve got a baggy green. I feel like I’ve ticked all boxes, the feeling of playing for Australia and the achievement is unbelievable.
“For me personally, I get more joy out of playing franchise cricket and that’s a personal thing. Someone else might be different, they might strive to play for Australia, but that’s just not me.
“I’ve come to that realisation and I’ve come to that decision that for me, my mental health, I’m much better playing franchise cricket, being myself, being the person, I am, rather than playing for Australia. I just feel like if I play for Australia again, I’d be a whole different person, and I don’t want to feel like that. That’s okay for me to say, because that’s how I feel.”
A foundation player since the inaugural WBBL in 2015, Wellington consistently ranks among the Strikers’ top wicket‑takers. She became the competition’s leading wicket‑taker in WBBL 07 with 23 scalps, produced 5/8 in the 2021‑22 Eliminator, and followed it with identical figures in WBBL 08- both record spells in league history.
In 2019 she joined Southern Vipers in the Kia Super League and later represented Southern Brave and Manchester Originals in The Hundred, accumulating 35 wickets in 23 matches with a best of 4/12. Wellington signed for Northern Brave, contributing valuable wickets and runs in the Women’s T20 Blaze. In the WCPL, she played for the Barbados Royals, helping them win consecutive titles in 2023 and 2024, finishing among the top wicket‑takers in each season.
Currently playing for Somerset in England’s Women’s One Day Cup, while Wellington continues to deliver with the bowl, in 8 batting innings she has added 202 runs to the tally, at an average of 40.40 and a strike rate of 143.26. She is actively developing her batting to evolve into a genuine all‑rounder. Her ambition: earn a spot in the WPL, a league she has yet to crack, but hopes to join as early as next year.
“One thing that stands out for the WPL is you can’t just be a one-trick pony in terms of you can’t just be a bowler, you can’t just be a batter,” she said. “You’ve got to have an all-round skill and that’s one thing that I’ve been prioritising in my batting as well.
“So hopefully these little knocks will catch the eyes of some people and hopefully the standout performances will get noticed. Sometimes you’ve just got to be lucky as well in terms of the right moment getting picked up and people needing a certain skill base. I’m really hoping next year is the lucky charm and I get picked up. I’m hoping if I do crack it, I can stay there for at least a couple of years.”
Wellington explained her reoriented mindset: while many continue to “strive to play for Australia,” she no longer sees that as her sole goal. Instead, she cherishes the freedom to express her game authentically and carve out a meaningful, independent career through franchise cricket.
(Quotes sourced from ESPN Cricinfo’s Powerplay podcast)
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