Heather Knight said the findings of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket are “unsurprising” and hopes the report will enable cricket to “lead the way in terms of being more equitable, diverse and inclusive”.
The report, released on Tuesday, outlined what it labelled the “routine marginalisation” of women’s cricket in England and called for a fundamental recalibration, including the introduction of equal pay at international level by 2030.
“As a group of England Women cricketers we feel very strongly that the game needs to keep moving forwards,” Knight said. “We want to be a key part of that.” Knight, the England women’s captain, said she felt sustainability was key in the light of concerns that equal pay may be unattainable within a short timeframe.
“The priority is getting the structures in place to give equal opportunity, to give any young girl exactly the same opportunities to be a professional cricketer as a young boy has,” she said.
Meanwhile, as England seek to get their Ashes campaign back on track at Edgbaston on Saturday evening, they are hoping that the addition of 22-year-old all-rounder Dani Gibson to their XI will turn their fortunes around.
England Wyatt, Dunkley, Capsey, Sciver-Brunt, Knight, Gibson, Jones, Dean, Ecclestone, Davies, Bell
Australia Litchfield, Mooney, Gardner, McGrath, Healy, Perry, Harris, Jonassen, Wareham, Garth, Brown
Currently 4-0 in arrears after losing the Trent Bridge Test, England have to win five of the forthcoming six white-ball matches (three T20s and three ODIs) in order to regain the Ashes – a tall order against an Australia side who are world champions in both of the shorter formats.
Gibson, who accompanied the England squad to the T20 World Cup in South Africa in February as travelling reserve, admitted to some nerves about the prospect of making her international debut, but said she was determined not to overthink it.
“I need to remember that this is what I do every day,” she said. “My natural game is to be attacking. Yes it is an Ashes and it is for my country, but it is about keeping it simple – if you overcomplicate things, you’re never going to perform at your best.”
Gibson would offer a reliable four overs of seam, which could be crucial as Nat Sciver-Brunt fights her way back from the knee injury which troubled her during the Test. After several days resting at home, Sciver-Brunt is training with the team but it is unclear whether she will be fit to bowl on Saturday.
Edgbaston has not been a happy hunting ground for England of late; their last match here was their disastrous Commonwealth Games bronze-medal encounter against New Zealand, which they threw away in a fit of pique.
Nonetheless, the ECB will be hoping that an England win in front of a rollicking home crowd – more than 18,000 tickets have been sold for this fixture – will be enough to generate positive headlines in a week which they would otherwise rather forget.
