England women’s cricket is in transition. Forty-one players signed professional terms last year as part of a reformed domestic structure, joining the England players under a medium-term contract to become full-time athletes. With a full schedule of regional games to be held this summer, the women ‘s game has never been on a stronger footing across the country.
Charlotte Edwards is well on her way to becoming the new president of the Professional Cricket Association (PCA). Edwards realized when asked to take up the post – first with PCA board member Isa Guha and her teammate, then with chief executive Rob Lynch – that she was in a better position than anyone else. to help new players union players. transition from amateur to professional status.
Edwards ’playing field ran over a time when women’s cricket changed dramatically. When she made her debut in England in 1996, she paid for her own jacket and wore a skirt; in her last international version, 20 years later, she played in a team of full-time professionals under the world media spotlight in Delhi. And she is aware of the scrutiny that professionalism brings, following the remarkable positioning of her own international career five years ago.
“We have been members of PCA for ten years,” Edwards told ESPNcricinfo. “I joined as a player in 2011, three years before we became full-time professionals. I really feel there has been a shift: they want to be very in- now, and they want to support the women ‘s game There were challenges when I became a professional and I hope I can share some of those experiences with her. this group of players and with the PCA, so that they understand what support we can give them. “
Edwards highlights three key areas in which she wants to be “very active” in her role as president: helping the professional game overcome the stagnant waters of Covid’s pandemic disease -19 and its financial implications; involvement in the Professional Cricket Trust and its fundraising activities; and supporting the women’s game by moving towards full professional status, with the help of the creation of a new PCA women’s player committee, which was consolidated at the same time as her leadership. The third of these, she said, is “maybe where my special experience is”.
In addition to her own experience as a player, Edwards has been involved with the Southern Vipers since their inception in 2016, first as captain and later as cricket director and head coach, and she is on the steps taken by some of them to see five new professionals over the winter. In particular, she recognized that in a still semi-professional regional setting, players respond differently to the challenges involved.
“There is pressure on the contracts,” she said. “Suddenly, it’s the livelihood of those players, and that affects people in different ways, as I have seen with my own eyes. With just five contracts [per regional hub], we have a huge talent pool in this country and there will be a lot of competition for places. “
There are 17 female players from England who are under medium contract, who train full time, like their male peers. The ECB awarded domestic contracts to 41 players in December 2020: five at each regional hub, as well as the sixth player under contract at Storm West. Some players on domestic contracts have worked part-time elsewhere as they are contracted for 15 hours per week at their regional hubs.
“Players have a platform to perform now. If Georgia Adams, for example, has another good start to the summer, it would be difficult. [for England] ignoring the weight of running. I’ve seen Vipers players kick in a lot over the last six months we’ve been working with them. If that happens across the country, we will have a group of 40 or 50 players that can make our domestic tournament very strong, but mean that there will be a bigger pool for England to choose from.
“Players from the England team will be relegated to regional contracts at some point as well. Of course, this regional structure is going to create competition now, which is good for English cricket, but we need to make sure that we support the players as much as we can. “
But outside of England, Edwards is concerned about the state of the women’s game. At this time last year, she worked as a broadcaster at the T20 World Cup and watched a record 86,174 attend the MCG final on International Women’s Day; 12 months down the line, she feels that too few boards have turned the investment needed to turn that marked moment into something more visible.
“It’s hard to imagine that was 12 months ago,” she said. “This is a great opportunity for some of these boards to show how bad they are about women’s cricket. International cricket status is a major concern: there are two or three teams that are actually leaving the pack at the moment, and that gap will not be closed unless these countries invest in women’s cricket and they put the resources around the teams in place.
“I think the ECB has really set the stage, and Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket are clearly with them. What worries me as India is Sri Lanka. and Bangladesh – they haven’t played international cricket in 12 months, which can’t be good A team like India – their male peers have played in so many leagues in that time , so there has to be some balance there.
“With the World Cup 12 months away and the Commonwealth Games 18 months away, that has to be a priority for them. They have to invest money in their women’s programs or nothing will change.”
In particular, Edwards cited the example of the West Indies, who had the sloppiness in the field and with tactics when they lost 5-0 in their T20I series against England last September speaking of their stagnation. recently.
“They won the World Cup in 2016, and in many ways they have come back since then. It’s really hard to see. They lit that World Cup and then it was wonderful to see the public on the behind in their 2018 home tournament. But they don’t seem to have invested: it’s still the only crop of players that is getting much older now.
“That comes down to investing in roots and pathways. It’s like New Zealand: those young players don’t seem to be coming through competing. England have taken control. in many ways and that is a cause for concern. We want cricket international to be very competitive, and I do not see cricket competitive enough at that level at the moment. “
The real test may come next year. In the 12-month period, from March 2022 to February 2023, the World Cup will be held in ODI and T20I cricket, with the Commonwealth Games in between for good measure. It’s not just because she’s a captain in England that Edwards hopes Australia won’t blow everyone else away.
“You just hope the boards get behind it, a real investment, and we see the best of the women’s game with a lot of different countries competing to a high level. We know when at best, it ‘s a great product and it’s wonderful to watch. “
Matt Roller is assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets at @ mroller98