Belinda Clark Award: Fresh off winning the Belinda Clark Award, Annabel Sutherland has advocated for more women’s matches at major stadiums, citing the record-breaking attendance at the recent Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) as proof that the all-conquering Australian team deserves to play on the biggest stages.
The 23-year-old all-rounder, who smashed the first women’s century in an Ashes Test last weekend, capped off a remarkable year by receiving Australian women’s cricket’s top individual honour. Her stunning performances over the past 12 months included a historic Test double century and a key role in Australia’s dominant 16-0 Ashes triumph over England—the first whitewash in more than a decade.
Sutherland expressed hope that the success of the MCG Test would spark a shift towards hosting more women’s matches at iconic venues like the MCG and SCG. “Hopefully, the game at the MCG sparks a bit of change and we can launch off what was a really great event,” Sutherland was quoted by news.com.au as saying.
The MCG Test shattered records for women’s cricket attendance, drawing 23,561 fans in just two days, with 11,804 more attending on the final day to witness Australia’s resounding victory. This was Australia’s first match at the MCG since the 2020 T20 World Cup final, where a staggering 86,000 spectators watched the team lift the trophy. However, despite this support, the Australian women’s team hasn’t played an ODI at the venue since 2014.
With their sustained dominance, some pundits have labeled the Australian women’s cricket team “Australia’s best sporting team ever”, making them even more deserving of regular matches at premier venues. “Just the opportunity to play at the big grounds. We are playing some really good cricket, and the support from Australian fans shows people want to see it,” Sutherland emphasized. “We deserve to be in the big stadiums around the country.”
While the title of “Australia’s best-ever sporting team” is being debated, Sutherland and her teammates aren’t getting carried away. “Success over a long period of time is a bit of a sign of that,” she said. “But teams come at you all the time, and it wasn’t long ago we got knocked off in a semi-final of the (T20) World Cup. You have to stay on your toes.”
She credited Australia’s mindset of constant improvement as the key to their dominance. “The beauty of this group is we don’t get caught up in that. We keep moving on to what’s next, what we are trying to do, to be as good as we can individually and contribute to the team where possible.”
At just 23, Sutherland has already achieved more international centuries than Australian legend Ellyse Perry and is one of the youngest-ever winners of the Belinda Clark Award, following in the footsteps of Meg Lanning, who won it at 21 and 22.
She credited Australia’s mindset of constant improvement as the key to their dominance. “The beauty of this group is we don’t get caught up in that. We keep moving on to what’s next, what we are trying to do, to be as good as we can individually and contribute to the team where possible.”
Article Source: IANS