England captain Heather Knight has warned that women’s international cricket must be protected, revealing her side’s tour of the West Indies has felt like “going back in time” due to its low-key nature and lack of DRS technology.
The Caribbean trip has been a resounding success for Knight and new head coach Jon Lewis in terms of results, with a 3-0 sweep in the ODI leg and one more win needed on Thursday to complete a 5-0 walkover in the T20s.
But Knight has been unable to shake the idea that while things have been moving forward for her side on the field, the trip has represented a backwards step in other ways.
The West Indies do not have the financial or administrative resources to match the rapid acceleration of professionalism of the women’s game seen by the likes of England, Australia and India and the contest has failed to draw the levels of interest Knight has become accustomed to at home.
“On the pitch it’s been brilliant but we haven’t massively been challenged which is a shame,” she said.
“It’s felt weirdly like a very low key tour, no media here and not a huge amount of coverage. And not having third umpires and DRS feels really strange, almost like going back in time a little bit.
“With those things, you just become accustomed to it, you have those things in domestic competitions back home. But ultimately it’s all about money being available to put into those resources.
“With the T20 World Cup coming it’s going to be very different and very much in the spotlight.”
It's really important international cricket is looked after and is strong in all countries, that it's still the pinnacle of the game— Heather Knight
Knight’s concerns go well beyond a quiet month in Antigua and Barbados, though. She knows how precarious the landscape can be for some nations and believes work must be done to preserve the primacy of international cricket amid the rise of T20 leagues.
She added: “It’s so important to keep the international game really strong. There’s a lot of changes on the horizon with the [women’s] IPL and PSL kicking off, so it’s really important international cricket is looked after and is strong in all countries, that it’s still the pinnacle of the game.
“You see the changes happening in the men’s game and the changes in the women’s game could affect things even more if people decide to just go down the franchise route – playing less cricket for more money.
“It’s a little reminder that international cricket needs to be looked after and invested in.”
