Personal disclaimer from the Author. – I do not presume to be a writer but I am a lover of women’s cricket so I will write down my thoughts for you to read. You might not agree with me but I hope we can have a passionate discussion about a topic we share an interest in.
Women’s Test cricket, to play or not to play?
Some would say that playing a Test match is the pinnacle of men’s cricket, can it be viewed the same for women cricketers?
Recently the Australian women played their old foes, the England women’s team in a multi formatted series called the women’s Ashes and part of that series is a one off 4-day Test match.
There was a whole heap of excitement after this last Test was played. It went down to the wire. There were some excellent performances in the Test match. Beth Mooney had a superb catch in the deep, off Alana King’s bowling and it should be mentioned that she had a broken jaw- wired shut and was living off a liquid diet. Heather Knight, the skipper of England played two superb innings (168 not out & 48) these innings kept England in the hunt right up until the last ball was bowled and won her the player of the match.
We will never know when the declaration would have actually been called if Meg Lanning had a fifth day. Two lost sessions and a drawn match later.
Therein lies another argument, should these one off Tests be played over 4 or 5 days? That I will leave for another day.
This test match had everyone talking, many were saying that it should be a consistent feature in all series for women. I agree that match had some really good moments, was it a nail biter over all 4 days? That would be a strong ‘NO’. It wasn’t.
Has the women’s game moved far enough into the public eye to sustain an audience for 4 or 5 days over a Test match?
Would Test cricket not water down an already thin audience base?
I will be crucified for this but I stand with one of the greatest to ever have played, Belinda Clarke. I agree with her, women’s cricket needs to focus on the shorter formats, as much as possible. I love the traditional white kit and the green grass stain on the knees but our focus must stay on the where the biggest audience can be drawn too.
During The Hundred and the recently played WBBL records were broken once again for viewership not only on the television but at grounds as well. Unfortunately, the money lies in viewership. Women’s Test cricket is not going to gain enough viewership. I am not saying we should write it off but I am saying a pause needs to be applied- for now.
Women’s teams that are currently in the ICC as Test playing nations must be of a high standard. Unfortunately, some teams on that list like Bangladesh would not cope against the top cricketing nations. When these Test matches get played it has to be of quality and getting rolled for a few runs etc. would not be a good advertisement for women’s cricket. I say, concentrate on growing the level of women’s cricket at the formats that get bigger audiences and huge crowds so that more sponsorships are afforded to teams and players.
An argument could be made that we have to start somewhere. I agree but surely then a longer format should start at club or provincial levels and not just straight into International cricket.
It was recently announced that the ECB would host the Momentum Proteas for a multi formatted series which will be played in seven cities all across England. So a one off Test match will be played at Taunton, which happens to be where my favorite cricket ground is found. The County cricket ground is the most picturesque in the world. Admittedly New Zealand looks like a pretty cool place to go watch a match at as well (will add that to my bucket list). Will have to settle on watching the World cup this year from a far.
So what would our Momentum Proteas test team look like. The approach to Test match cricket versus ODI is fundamentally different and I would presume that our approach to selection would be very different.
Our current opening pair of Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt, elegance mixed with brute strength would possibly not be the right temperament. Could this then open a spot for Andrie Steyn who has shown her class upfront with her recent performance in the Emerging South African team. She also knows Laura very well as they both play for the same provincial team.
Players like Chloe Tryon and Tazmin Brits might also not get the nod. Classic batters like Robyn Searle or Kirstie Daniel (formerly Thomson) could get a recall to the Test squad. Kirstie gives you that extra option of slow spin and Robyn gives that extra coverage in the middle order.
Then comes the spin option, Dané van Niekerk and Suné Luus would for me of course play but who else do you add? Could a young gun like Jade de Figueiredo get a call up or would Nondumiso Shangase be a good fit? She adds batting in the middle order plus a really good spin option and could tie down one end with Dane and Sune.
My biggest question is if Marizanne and Shabnim could bowl 20 overs each in a day. I would hope so because they would be my first pick in any team in any format. That of course opens up another question, who are the next fast bowlers for the Momentum Proteas? A conundrum indeed!
Finally, I beg of you to go and watch a woman’s match, any match. A school game, club game, just show up. The more viewership, the more interest, the more money and so the game will grow.
Momentum Proteas Tour to England Itinerary:
Only Test – 27 June – 30 June @ 11am England vs SA (Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton)
One-day international series:
11 July @ 2pm local time – 1st ODI – England vs SA (The County Ground, Northampton)
15 July @ 2pm local time – 2nd ODI – England vs SA (Bristol County Ground, Bristol)
18 July @ 2pm local time – 3rd ODI – England vs SA (The Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester)
T20 Series:
21 July @ 7pm local time – 1st T20 – England vs SA (The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford)
23 July @ 2.30pm local time – 2nd T20 – England vs SA (Blackfinch New Road, Worcester)
25 July @ 6.30pm local time – 3rd T20 – England vs SA (The Incora County Ground, Derby)