The Aussies have retained the Rose Bowl with a 3-nil route of New Zealand.
Normally I’d have plenty to say about the actual games (Healy, Haynes, and Lanning were all outstanding with the bat, ably assisted by the rest of the Aussies), but I’d like to have a bit of a chat about some of the opinions expressed online in light of that one-sided result.
Syd Egan over at the CricketHer blog wondered if Australia’s dominance stemming from their professionalisation is literally killing women’s cricket.
Others have popped up on social media asking the same thing and lamenting whether there is anything other nations can do to stem the flow of trophies and players to Australia. (Ireland international Kim Garth signed a pro contract with Victoria this year, with hopes of becoming an Australian citizen and playing for Australia - I’ll talk more about that below).
And the West Indies women have had their passion for the game questioned (although I’d argue that when you’re lacking in support at home and abroad both financially and resource-wise, a lack of passion isn’t surprising).
These are all fair points and ones that won’t get fixed unless some drastic measures are taken.
Australian women’s cricket is in the dominant position it is in now because of the investment from Cricket Australia over the last six years in both player payments and resources.
The Australian system now has multiple levels of cricket that women can play at the elite level with a clear pathway to Australian selection as well as the WBBL.
It’s now possible for a domestic female cricketer in Australia to not ever make the Australian side and still be able to be a professional cricketer.
Something unheard of only a few short years ago, and so important to feed elite players into the system from the ground up. We’re starting to get to the point that we’ll see amazing young cricketers miss out on national selection simply because competition for spots is so tough and the skill levels are so high.
Those same cricketers, though, have the opportunity to become cult heroes in the WBBL and still earn a good living.
It’s so easy to set and achieve high standards when you can focus wholly and solely on cricket.
So, what’s the solution, then?
The easy answer is more investment in women’s cricket in every other nation.
And not just for higher rates of pay so players can become full-time professionals, but investment in training facilities and clubs, and investment into coaching as well.
Apart from investment, though, which requires motivation from each country’s governing body, I’ve got three suggestions/ideas that could change the face of cricket for women.
The ICC needs a separate administration body for women’s cricket, run by women, with a sizeable budget to enable grants and subsidies to be given to developing nations. Why a separate body? Because men will always position men’s sport above women because it’s the status quo and because, at present, it makes financial sense to do so. Women’s sport needs passionate and driven women, of whom there are plenty in the cricketing world, to drive change and they need the ability and funding to do that in a much more deliberate and targeted way.
I don’t know all the ins-and-outs of international selection and whether eligibility criteria are different for each country, but it strikes me as odd that a player such as Kim Garth, by simply following her dream to play cricket professionally, had to give up playing for her country. So second on my list is to relax or change the eligibility criteria for national selection for countries that don’t have professional pathways yet to allow their best female cricketers to ply their trade abroad. This allows those players to play against the best in the world, to train with the best coaches and in the best systems, and to bring back that knowledge and experience that is so vital in lifting their own country’s skill levels.
Third, we need many, many more women in the women’s cricket space - in commentary and reporting/journalism/photography, in administration, in support roles and particular, in coaching. This goes double for former women’s cricketers. When we lose former players from the system when they retire, we lose experience and knowledge that should be passed down to each following generation.
I was a volunteer administrator for amateur sport (soccer) for over a decade, as well as a player for almost thirty years. I know what it feels like to see your team pushed aside for men, and I know what it’s like to have to fight for your right to play or to fight for funding for something as simple as a shower curtain for club showers. (Seriously - ask me about it sometime).
It’s a sad fact that unless there are clear action plans and the impetus to change, and a strong drive for investment regardless of the economic outcome (at least initially), nothing is going to change for women’s cricket.
But give women the funding and the space to do what needs to be done and watch the changes happen.
Cricket Australia have been highly supportive of the female game. The men took a pay cut which was a great place to start. The work that the office for women in sport are doing to support women in sport particularly in leadership positions has been a great success. Gender equality at all levels of sport is so important.