Future bright for women: Devine
AUSTRALIA may remain ahead of New Zealand in its women’s cricket setup.
But one White Ferns star believes the game is moving in the right direction on this side of the Tasman.
Sophie Devine made the competition look ridiculously easy as she smashed a world record 36ball century against the Otago Sparks at the University Oval on Thursday.
It was her first game back for the Wellington Blaze, having starred for the Perth Scorchers in Australia’s Big Bash League.
While the innings may have indicated a big step down in level, Devine was quick to point out the progress New Zealand was making.
‘‘I think the way the schedule is this year with the double headers is fantastic,’’ she said, following her innings of 108 not out.
‘‘Playing on quality pitches makes a massive difference for the women’s game.
‘‘Quite often when I first started, you played out on the back grounds which were low, slow and I think it makes a massive difference.
‘‘Also the time and effort the girls can put into their game.
‘‘You’re seeing that in terms of the quality of the fielding.
‘‘Diving, sliding, throwing, catching, it’s making for a better spectacle.
‘‘We’re only going to get better.
‘‘Absolutely, Australia are a little bit ahead of us but they’ve had that competition now for five or six years. So we’re slowly making gains.’’
The improvement over time of the quality and popularity of the Australian competition has been widely noted.
While New Zealand did not have all the luxuries Australia had, there was plenty to learn from it.
The Big Bash was five years ahead of the Super Smash, which Devine said showed where the New Zealand league could get to in time.
‘‘I think they’re the blueprint for us and what we want to try to emulate here in New Zealand.
‘‘There’s probably not quite as many people and resources, money probably isn’t as deep as in their pockets.
‘‘But there’s no reason we can’t strive to have the sort of level of cricket they have available for women over there.
‘‘Pathways is a big thing for them over there that they’ve invested into.
‘‘I think the same thing here. ‘‘The under19 tournament at Lincoln just completed and the under19 World Cup — it’s really exciting prospects for young female cricketers coming through.’’