Kate Cross thinks England’s new mentality can help them challenge Australia.
Kate Cross didn’t have far to look for sporting inspiration – her dad, David, was an FA Cup winner. A revered striker in his heyday, David helped West Ham beat Arsenal in 1980 in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley.
That winning mentality clearly rubbed off on his daughter, with Kate having dedicated herself to her craft and carving out her own distinguished career as one of England’s most respected cricket stars.
A decade after making her international debut for her country, the Ashes-winning 32-year-old is understandably delighted with how far women’s cricket has grown since its inception – and rightly proud of the significant role she has played in that growth and success.
“The last ten years have moved so exponentially, it’s hard to have imagined that the women’s game could have moved so quickly,” reflected Cross, ahead of England’s current T20 and One-Day International series in New Zealand.
At the time of writing, England are xxxxx in the T20I series with xxx to play, ahead of three ODIs starting next week – one in Wellington and two in Hamilton, before a shorter home series with Pakistan in May.
“Women’s cricket is massive now, but when I started playing cricket for Lancashire we’d have six county games in a season – and that was it,” added Cross. “Now it feels like a special time when we get a weekend off, or a week here or there to get away and relax. That’s hard to come by now with the calendar being so busy.”
“But it’s great there are so many opportunities, the game has changed enormously. People often ask me where it will be in the next five or ten years, which is difficult to answer given the speed of growth so far.”
“I think what’s so special about cricket is that the game has never actually stood still, there’s always been something that has developed. I remember when Twenty20 cricket first came in that seemed like a big, bold move. People were sceptical of the format, but T20 revolutionised the game. It helped pave the way for The Hundred.”
“There is room for all the formats, but for me it’s a case of making sure they all get enough spotlight and none of them get left behind.”
There are more opportunities than ever before at elite level, with the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in India, Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia and The Hundred in the UK offering players the chance to shine across an array of formats.
Throw in a thriving UK county game and strong international scene and it’s easy to see why women’s cricket has captured the imagination.
Just like England’s footballing Lionesses, Cros
