In a pre-pandemic world, they filled the MCG on International Women’s Day. Fast forward six months to an emergent post-pandemic Northern quarter of the country and they are now responsible for socially-distanced sell-outs on a Wednesday afternoon.
Make no mistake, this Australian Women’s Cricket Team is doing fantastic things for the game, and it is their professional, appealing and affable nature that makes them such an endearing team for the Australian public.
Out for a clean sweep on Wednesday afternoon in their first series since the international cricket schedule came to a standstill, the incumbent world champions fell short against a resurgent and steadfast New-Zealand team, but pushed it to the last despite being far from their best.
Undefeated in a T20I series since 2016/17, they have become a complete, professional unit, who, like any successful team is able to spread the load with a consistent array of performers; not overly reliant on a couple of stars.
Unstoppable: Player of the Series, Ash Gardner cuts in the first T20 against New Zealand
Notwithstanding the final result in the third t20, the team plays with an enviable and irresistible confidence, so much so that success becomes an almost self-fulfilling cycle. Take for example, world-beating wicket-keeper batter, Alyssa Healy, who found herself uncharacteristically bogged down, having managed just one run from nine deliveries at the start of the innings. Rather than trying simply to work a couple of singles, she chose to back away and deposit a length ball over backward point for six; hardly the shot of a player who lacks confidence - either in herself or the batting line-up that follows her.
Flush with balance, there is an emergence of a new wave of talent who continue to entrench themselves as the stars of the future, allowed to find their feet in the presence of bona-fide champions. Player of the series, Ash Gardner possesses poise, power and maturity that defies her age; having become a staple of the middle order at just 23 while Sophie Molineux is more than capable with both bat and ball; able to act as a steadying influence as a 22-year-old.
Perhaps most indicative of this team’s completeness is that they can lose arguably their best player in Ellyse Perry and not miss a beat; a credit to the leadership, the culture and depth of talent that surrounds them.
A word on that culture – and indeed that Perry. Perhaps they are now interchangeable, as the team’s injured star continues to act as a beacon for young cricketers and sportspeople alike. When quizzed on the telecast about how she felt after another injury setback, she simply quipped with a smile “it’s OK” before quickly deflecting the attention, preferring to praise her teammates for their continued success.
We already knew of Perry’s humble and affable nature. But don’t forget, she has arguably been the central pillar around which the success of this team has been built for the last decade. She missed their watershed moment – hamstrung and bound to the sidelines ever since – yet she remains unflappable in her positivity. A true asset to any cricket team, an organisation blessed enough to boast characters of her calibre are primed for success.
Can Australia hold on to the Rose Bowl when the ODI's start on Saturday? (Photo- Bradman Museum)
So, a bump in an otherwise pristinely flat road for the Australians on Wednesday. Credit must go to Kiwi youngster, Amelia Kerr who managed two wickets before blasting 18 from 10 balls to secure the victory for her side; one of the most exciting young players on the international circuit, she will almost certainly be a thorn in the Australian side for years to come.
The attention will now turn to the ODI series, the Rose Bowl – a trophy that the Australians have held since the turn of the century, and should they rediscover their usual mojo, it is hard to see them handing it back to the Kiwis any time soon.
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Clearing Boundaries is the first ever hard covered coffee-table style book dedicated to women’s cricket, and only the second literary update on the history of the women’s game in Australia for nearly 30 years. The project, in partnership with the Bradman Museum and International Cricket Hall of Fame, traces the strong lineage of females in cricket from the 19th century to the watershed 2020 T20 World Cup, told largely through the lens of the Australian Women’s Cricket Team. Celebrating generations of trailblazers across five distinguishable ‘eras’ – from foundation to professionalism
Clearing Boundaries is available from the Bradman Museum and International Cricket Hall of Fame
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