England veteran Katherine Brunt has called for reform of women’s Test cricket to improve the contest and spectacle ahead of the only red-ball match of the women’s Ashes.
Brunt said the current game bores everyone – except Australian batter Elysse Perry.
Heather Knight’s side take on Australia at Canberra in a bid to become the first English team to win a Test match Down Under this winter after their male counterparts crashed to a 4-0 series defeat.
England go into the Test match 4-2 behind in the multi-format series after Australia secured a nine-wicket victory in the opening match and points were shared across the two subsequent washed out T20s.
Brunt is England’s most experienced player having made her debut in 2004. Now 36 she continues to lead the England’s bowling attack and urged cricket’s lawmakers to make changes to the women’s game.
Ellyse Perry celebrates taking a wicket. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
“I love it (Test cricket), I just wish they’d tinker with it,” Brunt said in a break in preparations for Canberra..
“I’m absolutely sick to death of us not evolving cricket the way it should do as a sport.
“We need to get on with making things more exciting, more challenging. The totals have gone up and up and the wickets have gone down and down.
Brunt, who has played for Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars in WBBL, added: “We shouldn’t be playing on the same length pitches as men, that should not be happening. We should not be playing off 22 yards, it’s wrong. That’s one.
“Two: we shouldn’t be bowling in Test matches with Kookaburra balls, that’s wrong. The fact that none of us have ever bowled with a Dukes ball is wrong.”
Dukes are handmade cricket balls used by the men’s team for home Test matches. The company, which makes men’s and children’s sizes but not the women’s ball, has been contacted for comment by the PA news agency.
Brunt said: “If you want to make us play over four days then give us a better pitch to bowl on and give us a Dukes ball to make it happen, otherwise don’t put on it on TV because honestly, it bores me even so I don’t know how anyone else can watch it.”
There have been nine women’s Test matches in the last 10 years and the last four have all ended in draws, while England have not won a Test since their last victory over Australia, in the 2013-14 Ashes.
Ellyse Perry has also been a problem for England and remains the prized wicket for the visiting bowling attack, especially in the game’s longest format where she boasts an inconceivable Test average of 86.62.
The Australian all-rounder has only been dismissed eight times in 15 innings in Test matches, and Brunt admits England will have to be relentless.
“Well, her biggest thing and our biggest problem is that she doesn’t get bored. Which is unreal really because everyone gets bored. But she just doesn’t get bored blocking every ball,” Brunt said.
“She slowly melts down a bowler because she’ll just block, block, block, wait until you’re tired and then let’s say you bowl one semi-bad ball in 10 overs…she’s literally just concerned about that ball – and that’s it.
“So I think just being relentless, not giving her anything, creating as many opportunities as possible, I think we’ll mix it up this Test match plan-wise.”
Brett Allen
Guest
No it’s not, it’s a two piece
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
US NFL, New Orleans Saints Quarterback, retired last year as the No2 all time in nearly every metric that matters in Gridiron.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Exactly, the opposite of what I'm talking about.
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
Sure, But we'll never see Test series, underpinned by interstate long-format series, underpinned by 2-day Grade matches. The players (most part-time or uncontracted), spectators, budget, ground availability and scheduling constraints can't sustain that pathway. Perhaps just prepare for one-off Tests, with series of 2-day 1-innings matches (eg the male Grade format). Most WBBL players won't have the talent or skill-set, so asking all 120 of them to participate would be pointless. So shortlist just the most-suitable ones for NSW v The Rest, Aus v Aus A, tourists v Aus A, off-season Aus A tours etc.
Gemma Adams
Guest
Lol why don't you do some research, women may play with a smaller ball but it's still most definitely a 4 piece.
matth
Roar Guru
Possibly true. It certainly will never be the predominant format. But they might continue as one-offs.
matth
Roar Guru
I appear to have hit a nerve with my fellow posters Roseville :stoked: .
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
That's because, surprise surprise, even women like to watch the best. The truth is that the gender warriors view of the world is completely warped; it's not true, it's not how people actually think or what they actually want.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Honestly Tony, if the BBL/T20 was set up like indoor cricket: everyone batting and bowling, switching it around regularly, I might actually watch the format!
Micko
Roar Rookie
What's different about female basketball?
Micko
Roar Rookie
This bloke clearly hasn't been to much pro sport throughout Australia. Lots of women and girls at men's pro sport, hardly a sausage fest!
Micko
Roar Rookie
Have no idea who the heck Drew Brees is! What sport is he from?
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Good point. No doubt I sound a bit sexist on this, but the England “speedsters” who opened the bowling today at 102-110 kph reminded me of the England opening bowler I faced in my 40s who also bowled around the same pace, with big inswingers. She didn’t seem too different from the Australian opening bowler who played fourth grade occasionally in our men’s club a decade earlier. The standards have probably improved but not hugely.
Stuart B
Roar Rookie
CA and other sports businesses prefer franchises. Much easier to spin up, shut down, control, relocate. They need clubs to develop talented juniors but once the kids are old enough to start working in the money factory, bye bye club.
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Brunty bored silly with the Aussies 3/43.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I think you'll find a stark difference.
U
Roar Rookie
Other female sports like basketball changed the rules. Why not this?
U
Roar Rookie
That’s the problem thought. Women don’t watch their fellow women play sport. At least not in big enough numbers.
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
Correct matth, the female market isn't just players and spectators. It's sponsors, parents and governments. They decide who gets cash, what kids play, and what public sporting facilities get built or upgraded. It's why the Commonwealth Bank moved its support from all cricket to female cricket, and why groups seeking grants propose multi-use grounds.
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
Noting that the predominant format for lower-grade male cricket, is two days of 70-96 overs per day. So they play it repeatedly from a young age, and get better and better at it. Female cricket is only white balls, and predominantly T20. The step up to red balls, 120-over innings, 4-5 consecutive days, long bowling spells, etc would be massive. Not many WBBL players would be able to successfully make the transition.