Stories from the archive I wish I never missed.

#Part 5 of the spotlight series

10.08.2024

During the pre-series media shoot for the Australia-New Zealand bilateral series, Alyssa Healy quipped to Sophie Devine, “Remember when we couldn’t beat you for ages?” Devine, promptly replied, “Yup, that was a great period.” I was reminded of that lighthearted exchange today as I stumbled upon a stat highlighting the T20 clashes between Australia and New Zealand. Across all T20 internationals, the two teams have faced off 49 times, with Australia leading 28-21. But before Australia’s era of dominance, things were very different. In fact, up until 2017—just before Australia's meteoric rise in world cricket—the standings between these two teams were 19-15 in New Zealand’s favor. Australia struggled to find a way past New Zealand for years. Since 2017, however, New Zealand have only managed to beat Australia twice.

When it comes to World Cup matches before 2017, the record stood at 3-1 to New Zealand. The one outlier for Australia, of course, was the iconic 2010 final, where Ellyse Perry’s footballing reflexes saved what looked like a certain boundary from Sophie Devine. That single win has since ballooned into Australia’s dominance, and today the World Cup tally stands at 5-3 in their favor.

Why is this relevant now?

It’s a reminder of how quickly things can change in sport. If you were to tell someone who has only recently started watching women’s cricket that there was once a time when Australia couldn’t beat anyone—let alone New Zealand—it would leave them momentarily speechless. The thought of Australia struggling to beat any team is almost unimaginable now. They’ve become almost untouchable, with squad depth, talent, and ability that feels light years ahead of the competition.

This realization got me thinking about other eras I never witnessed. I remember my grandfather telling me, when I was just starting to follow women's cricket, that the West Indies women’s team was one of the best in the world. That revelation took me by surprise. Growing up, I hadn’t experienced the great West Indies teams of the 70s, 80s, and 90s in men's cricket. The West Indies men's team I’ve known has mostly lingered between 7th and 10th in the world rankings, far from the dominance they once had. So, hearing that their women’s team was a top side felt almost unreal to me.

But when I looked into it, it made sense. Until 2017, the West Indies women's team had the third-best win/loss ratio in T20 internationals at 1.735, behind only Australia and England. That dominance, however, has faded fast. Since 2017, their win/loss ratio has plummeted to 0.659, and they’ve dropped out of the top 10. While it’s true that more associate nations have joined the rankings, even if you exclude them, West Indies now rank below teams like New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.

Despite this decline, if you look at the overall stats in women’s T20 cricket, they still hold the 5th spot, which is quite impressive given that they only played their first T20 international in 2008—four years after the other major nations. It shows that they did have their time at the top of the women’s game, even though it might feel like a distant memory now.

Stories from the past, shaping today’s game

As much as I regret not having seen these eras unfold, there is still so much to appreciate about them. These stories of the past—whether it’s New Zealand’s dominance over Australia, West Indies’ rise and fall, or the greatness of players like Charlotte Edwards and Lisa Sthalekar—contribute to women’s cricket today. They remind us that things change. Teams evolve, some go through difficult periods, while others rise to new heights. But every team has its moment, and for me, that’s the beauty of it all.

It’s the constant ebb and flow of the sport that makes it so captivating. Watching Australia now, it’s hard to imagine that they were once struggling against teams like New Zealand. It’s even harder to believe that there may come a day when they aren’t the unstoppable force they are today. But if the history of the game has taught us anything, it’s that change is inevitable. Teams rise, they fall, and they rise again.

I missed watching much of Charlotte Edwards' career, but her legacy lives on in the new generation of players. I missed the prime of players like Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, but their influence on Indian cricket is undeniable, as we saw with the rise of stars like Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana. I missed the early brilliance of Ellyse Perry, but I still get to witness her shaping Australia’s dominance today.

That’s the beauty of sport—it’s not just about the here and now, but the layers of history and stories that make up the journey. Things change. Teams get better, others face challenging times, but they will all have their moment in the sun someday. And that is something to cherish.