Time to fill the White Ferns’ 20-year test cricket gap - Alice Soper

Amelia Kerr is one of New Zealand cricket's brightest stars, yet has never played a test match. Photo / Photosport

• The White Ferns reached the T20 World Cup semifinals, their first white-ball tournament since 2016.
• The New Zealanders face the West Indies at 3am on Saturday (NZT).
• Critics argue against women’s test cricket, citing financial concerns and New Zealand Cricket’s lack of investment.

Alice Soper is a sports columnist for the Herald on Sunday. A former provincial rugby player and current club coach, she has a particular interest in telling stories of the emerging world of women sports.

OPINION

The White Ferns have successfully made it to the semifinals of the T20 World Cup. The first time since 2016, the team has made it this far in any white-ball tournament. It’s the red ball, however, that continues to elude them. It’s now been 20 years since the White Ferns last played test cricket.

The argument against their participation in this format is a rehashing of the financial argument applied universally against women’s sports progress. Women must be, at worst, cost-neutral and, at best, ready to turn a profit immediately. No sport in the world has ever achieved return without investment. That’s fine though because it’s not about resources but rather the attitude driving their allocation.

If there is a case to be made for the reintroduction of women’s test cricket, one only need look at the one New Zealand Cricket is currently making for men in the game. You cannot tell me that the sparsely attended Plunket Shield is a goldmine for New Zealand Cricket and yet they persist. Knowing that the multi-day domestic offering is the breeding ground for cricket excellence.

For all their shouts of progress, New Zealand Cricket has stood still on this issue for 20 years. Other nations are waiting at the stumps for us to join in. English Cricket has offered two tests in the last two years. Our stubborn refusal to reignite participation in the longer format as Australia, India, Sri Lanka and South Africa restart theirs has wide-ranging impact. Our dragging of feet could risk dragging the whole of the women’s game down at this crucial moment.

New Zealand Cricket knows all too well about letting women down, though. They’ve been made to apologise repetitively since their merger with the New Zealand Women’s Cricket Council in 1992. The great irony of that merger being that it wasn’t motivated not by any great interest in women’s participation but rather to secure funding for the sport. No surprises then when the majority of funds were then promptly invested into the men’s game. It’s past time to stop apologising and start doing differently instead.

Their much-lauded pay equity must now be met with play equity. Anything less is suppressing both the earning and development potential of our cricket stars. In order to bring back test cricket for our top side, we need to first bring it back domestically. This could be as simple as the introduction of an annual exhibition match to begin. The most logical timing of this is just after the conclusion of Super Smash, when players and their fans are locked in. Two teams could be selected, representing the best of established and emerging talent to take on multi-day cricket.

Don’t tell me fans wouldn’t turn out to finally get to see Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu play in the longer format. Their skill set and star power are perfectly primed to reignite women’s participation in red-ball cricket. Their reward for long service would also secure the longevity of the game. Having another challenge to chase could help stem the mid-20s drop-off we currently see within the women’s player base.

As with most things in women’s sports, it’s not a lack of resources but rather a lack of vision that’s holding us back. With the global growth in the women’s game, New Zealand Cricket must see their part in it. They must recognise participation in the highest form of their game is the next step for women in cricket.