Day 19: Am I looking forward to the Hundred?

 You’d expect me to talk about the Australia v India series. It was good, no doubt about that and is a remarkable story. There will have been many millions of words written by better writers and more respected.

I can offer an angle on the Women’s Hundred tournament though. No, honestly stick with me here. I still have reservations, too numerous to list here. I can guarantee they are the same as yours.

Once the squads started to be announced beyond the headline names, the real interest was going to start for me. Players who I have spoken to followed their careers. The players I want to perform well every time they step onto a cricket arena.

Having covered Nottinghamshire for two years, I became fond of Kirsty Gordon and Sonia Odedra both friendly people and wonderful competitors. To see that they had signed up was pleasing news—Gordon with Birmingham Phoenix and Odedra with Southern Brave.

Another exciting signing for Birmingham Phoenix is Abtaha Maqsood the Scottish international spinner. With Kathryn Bryce also signed up with Trent Rockets there will be a good Scottish presence in the competition. It would be a travesty if one of the sides couldn’t find a spot for Sarah Bryce.

It is really important that women’s cricket doesn’t just have strong teams at the top of the tree with the likes of England and Australia but that they take the other teams with them. With the commonwealth games and who knows Olympics in the future showcasing women’s cricket we need to ensure we can put on the best show possible.

The Hundred will offer a glimpse to a trestrial audience some of the biggest names in women’s cricket. Marizanne Kapp is one of those names. She is an economical bowler and offers something with the bat. Her South Africa teammate Mignon du Preez will be representing Manchester Original.

I know I can’t wait, but I will be following the women’s domestic season closely, from county T20s in April and May to the regional centres and the Hundred beyond.

Another conversation that was kicked-off by the cinclusion of the Australia v India series was where does Test match cricket stand in the women’s game? The only two teams that play in that format are England and Australia. The multi-format Ashes places a lot on the Test match and with no first-class cricket for women outside this series it will be difficult to expand.

As it stands England and Australia are the only two countries just now that can do anything to change that. It will take effort and a change of mind from the national boards. If you asked any international player or domestic for that matter, they want the opportunity.