Column: I GET pretty excited at the best of times but how good is the volume of women’s sport on at the moment?
It’s kind of like all codes are having their women’s sport moment but it’s got me thinking about how cricket can step things up and I’d love to see more investment in the longer format of the game.
I’ll put this bluntly, we’d all love to be playing more Tests but – and I don’t know how popular this will make me – but the onus is on us players to force a result.
As a spectator, I totally agree that we should be playing for a result even at the risk of losing a game.
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Sitting through one run an over and blocking half volleys is not the answer to getting bums on seats.
I went to the North Sydney Test match the day Pez (Ellyse Perry) hit the highest Test score by an Australian woman, 213 not out.
And while it was outstanding to watch Pez hit a double century there were periods of the match when Rach Haynes and Pez were out in the middle, and I am not throwing shade on them, it was hard to watch as a cricket fan.
And I am a cricket nuffie.
While we love playing the game there’s definitely an argument that we are also in the entertainment business and if we want to capture a bigger audience, we should be well … entertaining.
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As a spectator, I want to see a result – I don’t want to see players just blocking to draw a game.
If we get the crowd, then I reckon broadcasters would also jump on board. Sure, there are logistic questions – like do we have the ground availability to women to play more Test cricket?
I’m really looking forward to the multi-format series against India which now includes a Test, and I reckon exciting results in the Test arena will draw people away from the shorter format of the game.
Broadcasters can add microphones and cameras but there is only so much you can do for broadcast and media without the players providing a good contest, that’s the space we control.
Across the board, I think our code is the best in market at promoting the product and our athletes, and generating coverage for our sport – the Commonwealth Games promoted us to a completely different audience.
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I love how our game is continually looking to innovate and there is now talk of broadcasters putting in changeroom cameras – like you see in the NRL and AFL, but I am not too sure where I stand on this.
It’s fly on the wall stuff but I am not sure how they intend to use the footage. Let’s say hypothetically, Midge (Alyssa Healy) gets out and throws her pads in the change room, I’d hate for them to cross to that while the No. 4 bater is walking out.
Or Pez is getting her ankle taped and the commentators talk about that for four overs instead of the enthralling cricket that is being played but what I do love – is that we are looking at continually evolving.
Grace Harris was a member of Australia’s Commonwealth Games gold medal winning side in Birmingham.
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