If you have watched more than a fleeting moment of the Women’s Cricket World Cup over the past month, you will be intimately acquainted with Gin Wigmore’s Girl Gang – the song that accompanies the entry of the teams on to the field each match and plays on a seemingly continuous loop the rest of the time. On the surface it is an upbeat, peppy tune. In the context of the Australian team, though, its lyrics take on a more ominous tone. Suddenly the lines “I got the strength to tear it apart” and “we’re taking over the world” do not come across as metaphorical and the idea of some kind of Meg Lanning-controlled dictatorship seems entirely within the realms of possibility.
From start to finish at this tournament, Lanning’s team have been ruthless. There is no better word to capture the way they have gone about their business. Competition for a spot in the playing XI has been far fiercer than the competition they have faced on the field. From established stars such as Lanning, Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy through to the newer faces of Alana King, Darcie Brown and Tahlia McGrath, there was no weakness to exploit, not a glimmer of hope on which an opposition could cling. England were valiant in defeat in the final, but they had little chance of stopping this juggernaut.
Australia have long had sensational cricketers in their team. Throughout the history of the women’s game, there has not been a time they have lacked world-class players. The team that failed to make the World Cup final in 2017 was bursting with talent. The biggest change since that tournament has nothing to do with the skill of individual players and everything to do with how they operate as a team. There is accountability and responsibility across the squad – Lanning and the coach, Matthew Mott, have recognised the contributions each of their players can make in terms of leadership and team culture, and it has been to everyone’s advantage.
No longer does the team treat winning as a given – wicket celebrations have been joyful and genuine no matter the opposition and stage of the tournament. That joy carries into the other areas of their game. On the rare occasion a catch has been dropped or an opportunity missed, players offered a rueful smile, an apology and a vow to do better next time. There has been no blame or anger, no negative body language in the field.
Off the field, as well, they have looked like a team on top of the world. Although Grace Harris did not manage to force her way into the playing squad, her spirits have clearly been high, and the sight of her nattering away to teammates on the benches was a feature of every game. There is a sense of togetherness that has united these highly skilled individuals and made them an unstoppable team.
With the debut of women’s T20 cricket at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this year and a T20 World Cup in South Africa next year, there are plenty of opportunities for this implacable force to keep gathering momentum. While many of the team’s senior players are now in their 30s and the distant twinkle of retirement becoming brighter and clearer, the depth in Australian women’s cricket offers an embarrassment of riches.
From Darcie Brown, who already has a world championship to her name at 19 years old, to those waiting in the wings – Hannah Darlington (20), Stella Campbell (19) and Maitlan Brown (24) with the ball, to Georgia Voll (18), Phoebe Litchfield (18) and Ruth Johnston (19) with the bat, the next generation are already highly equipped to play international cricket. If they represented any other nation, they would have been at this tournament.
It is not simply a special group of players at the top right now, but a seemingly never-ending talent factory, churning out readymade stars on a conveyor belt of excellence with the ability to dominate for the next decade and beyond. With the blueprint now in place for a robust team culture, these young stars will take their place when the time comes, knowing they will not be thrown to the wolves, but enveloped within the glowing embrace of a team who play for each other in every moment.
While the almost-village atmosphere of Christchurch’s Hagley Oval, gently teeming with polite New Zealanders at socially distanced intervals, was worlds away from a screaming, packed Melbourne Cricket Ground on International Women’s Day in 2020, the vibe emanating from the winning team on Sunday was much the same. Different as it was, it is likely those involved will cherish this win just as much. It is that rare combination of ruthlessness and joy that unites these two disparate moments and shows what a special team this is and will continue to be, long into the future.
