Well as Ebony said, it is a very exciting time for women's cricket. This week's announcement by Cricket Australia of contracts for the Australian women is timely considering the relatively busy playing schedule coming up for the 2008-09 season.
With such a schedule coming up, some may've found it difficult to juggle their employment with their playing commitments. In the past, our ever increasing playing schedule has put pressure on employers, and unfortunately some girls have had to forego their casual positions due to cricket commitments. Looking from the perspective of the employers, it does put them in a difficult position at times.
Although the Cricket Australia contracts won't exactly allow us to resign from our employment roles, they will help alleviate some of these pressures. I guess I have been very lucky in regard to this, working at the South Australian Cricket Association.
While working in cricket, as well as playing, can become a bit of a cricket overload, I have been very well supported with respect to both state and international commitments. Needless to say, all the girls are pretty happy about the concept of contracts, hopefully in time other countries will also follow the lead set by the ECB, and now Cricket Australia.
Next subject - the World Cups! With our pre-season well underway here in Australia, the World Cup in March 2009 will be here before we know it. We have just had a squad camp in Brisbane a few weeks ago, our second for the pre-season following a camp in May at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. The Brisbane camp provided much nicer weather [than in Adelaide], and a chance to get outdoors on some turf wickets. Everyone is pretty excited about the year ahead, with the World Cup in Australia in March and the Twenty20 World Cup in June next year, you can hardly blame us.
We are used to things happening quite slowly in the world of women's cricket, and the common response to a small improvement is often, “Well, at least it's something”. This mentality needs to change.
The Twenty20 World Cup alongside of the men's tournament is a major coup for the women's game. The Twenty20 women's international between Australia and England at the MCG earlier this year played as a curtain raiser to the Australia v India Twenty20 proved a great success and gave us some unprecedented exposure in Australia. Not to mention giving the players the buzz of playing under lights at the MCG in front of around 30,000 people.
Let's hope that the next 12 months can boost the profile of the game, and set the platform for the future of the game. At the moment it appears that it is all happening, something makes me think I am at the wrong end of my career.
I was wondering if when you guys train, why not train with the men? Would that not save money and also give valuable experience as unfortunately womens cricket does not get the same exposure as mens cricket does.
Posted by: Steve at July 4, 2008 3:33 PM
The men wouldn't train with them it would be a joke. Would you train by having your sister bowl to you? Believe me I tried and I got sick of it very quickly.
Posted by: Manesha from Sri-Lanka at July 9, 2008 8:55 AM
I would like to comment on Hussians opinion on the Girl's cricket what I want to say is I think it will be a joke if gender plays a part on this cause I think there's nothing wrong women train with men but is it practical like Steve said?? but the truth is woemns cricket do not have the experiance and the game does not have the booming edge throughout the public. I think I belive this game is a man's game but there's nothig wrong women challanging the game but it will not be like the mens' game.There's no point of woemn playing againt's men cause I belive at the end of the day man will win the game so womens cricket will be always be ganging around with women unless a miracel happens!!
Posted by: puja at July 10, 2008 9:43 PM
well Manesha how long does it takes time to get experienced and how many women cricketers are there to score a decent runs against a good team, half the women cricketing nations are not up to the standard and the best team like Australia reaching the peek no other team is there to give a challenge like men has so only playing as practice nothing is going to change it the people who are involved with this they should be thrown out and men should rule women cricket and then see how men organise the team.miracle for women cricket what shame days has come we have to wait for miracle !!!
Posted by: rukhsana at July 10, 2008 9:48 PM
Steve you are right, men never trained with women it is a totally different strength game and who has time to train with men;the coaches are men some countries what improvement is there? it is not a easy game one can easily talk abt cricket but difficult to face or play cricket unless women join academy and learn the cricket no way these women can improve.
Posted by: green and gold at July 15, 2008 2:21 AM
As a cricketer in Aus i can tell u that@ times th women do train with the men.we have a centre of excellence for all of our national reps.the women attend specialist training camps(batting, bowling,keeping) where there are about 5 guys and a couple of girls. the good thing about these camps is that the girls get the same experiences and advice about aspects of their game as the guys, without having to compete against the guys like in a net session perhaps. i think you will find that women are just as technically correct as the men, the only difference is the strength factor. there is no real point in an aussie girl facing shaun tait when she will never face a bowler like that in a game. they key i think is for the girls to be able to access the same resources as the men, but at the same time keep it as relevant as possible to the womens game.
The sucess of the women's team in Aus is partially due2 the success of our men.more $$ in the system allows for more inititives for the girls
Posted by: Rohini at August 2, 2008 9:46 AM
In truth, men are stronger then women, just because god created our bodies that way. But this doesn't mean that women aren't as good as men! Us girls have achieved something that the men haven't -a double century by a single person in an ODI.
No one gives girls the benefit of the doubt when it comes to cricket! Boys can't handle the fact that girls are as good as them - I was playing cricket with some of the guys, I got him out - clean bowled, he stormed away angrily, saying he was off his game, I tonk him for six, he scoffs and says lucky shot. It's just because we're girls. Because of all this, the girls don't want to train anymore! But if we did, we'd be great. We just need a bigger push.
Mithali Raj, India's former captain, has been on the international circuit for a decade. In August 2006, she led India to their first-ever Test and series win in England and capped off the year by winning the Asia Cup - the second time in 12 months - without dropping a game. India, under her captaincy, also reached the World Cup final in 2005. Now, as one of the senior members of the side, and the premier batsman, a lot will be riding on her for the two World Cups - 50-over and Twenty20 - that India will play in 2009.
Urooj Mumtaz managed to juggle a course in dentistry along with captaining Pakistan. Their most recent triumph was qualifying for the World Cup next year and the 22-year old Urooj will lead a young team to Australia in hope of creating a favourable impression of the Pakistan women's team among the other sides as well as back home. A legspinner, she has a hat-trick against Zimbabwe.
Cri-zelda Brits became South Africa’s captain at the age of 23, standing in for Shandre Fritze in the home series against Pakistan in 2007. She followed this by captaining the side to a 3-0 series whitewash against the Netherlands as well as winning the first-ever Test between the two sides by 159 runs. In 2008 she scored her maiden ODI hundred and led South Africa to a spot in the World Cup after beating Pakistan in the Qualifiers final in Stellenbosch. She also coaches the Northwest women's team, based in Potchefstroom, and runs her own academy.
Shelley Nitschke combines playing for Australia and her state with working in cricket, as a school officer. A useful spinner, her batting is also worth talking about – she has developed into a handy allrounder. Her major achievements to date are winning the 2005 World Cup, taking 7 for 24 against England in Kidderminster in 2005 and being nominated for the ICC Women's Player of the Year in 2006-07. Although she has played netball, softball and basketball, cricket has always been her stand-out sport.
Ebony Rainford-Brent made history as one of eight England players to be handed a Chance to Shine coaching contract, allowing her flexibility around training. A top-order batsman, she fought back from what doctors thought was a career-killing back injury and could one day bowl again – calling her determined is an understatement. She is on the Surrey Academy and her Super 4s side is Diamonds. Proficient in basketball and athletics, she settled for playing cricket … and the drums.
Haidee Tiffen has played for New Zealand for more than ten years and is now their captain, having begun her career with Otago Under-21s before heading to Canterbury. She has played representational hockey, basketball and rugby – but cricket is her passion and won out over New Zealand junior hockey. She is particularly proud of winning the World Cup in 2000, reaching the 100-ODI milestone and being skipper. Her experience also includes playing for Sussex for two winters and she was also part of the first female academy in Lincoln. Somehow she also finds time to teach Health and PE at Hillmorton High School.
Isobel Joyce,a class bat with a steely mentality, comes from a family full of cricketers - twin sister Cecilia plays alongside her for Ireland and brother Dom for the men’s national team, while another brother, Ed, plays for England and Middlesex. Her first half-century came against a strong New Zealand attack in Dublin in 2004 and her figures of 4 for 20 helped her side beat Scotland by six wickets in the European Championship in 2001, where Ireland won all their three matches. Her 46 against Netherlands in the summer of 2007 helped to maintain her place in the World Cup qualifiers in South Africa. She was in outstanding form with both and ball during the tournament, scoring 148 runs at 37 and taking 10 wickets at an average of 7. She ran out five Pakistani players in Ireland's first match, before earning two successive Player-of-the-Match awards against Scotland and then Zimbabwe, against whom she scored 70 and took 4 for 10. She was named captain for their next series, against West Indies, after Heather Whelan pulled out because she was expecting.
Nadine George has been a regular for West Indies since her debut in 1999. She first led the side on their tour of Europe in June-July 2008, when West Indies thrashed Ireland and Netherlands while putting up a respectable performance against England. Nadine combines playing for West Indies and her national team, St.Lucia, with her day job as a Sergeant in the Police Marine Unit of the Royal St.Lucia Police Force. A left-hand batsman and wicketkeeper, Nadine says the highlights of her career are receiving an MBE at Buckingham Palace in 2005, being the first West Indies woman cricketer to score a century in a Test (in Pakistan in 2004), playing in the World Cup in South Africa (2005), and playing club cricket in Australia in 2006. Nadine also plays netball and volleyball and loves the marine environment and is passionate about diving. She is a qualified open water diver and during her working hours captains a 65 and 82 ft vessel. Her motto in life is "with hard work and dedication one can achieve".
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