England cricket captain calls for ‘equal opportunities rather than equal pay’ amidst rise of women’s cricket

'We’re working towards equal opportunities, not just equal pay'

Though many of the additional sports such as flag football and baseball are predominantly played by the host nation America, there is one sport that Team GB have a good chance at progressing far with… cricket.

England cricket captain Heather Knight spoke to JOE about what being added to the Olympic programme means for the sport.

She said: “The reach that something like the Olympics gives different sports is pretty cool. Like the air pistol guy who went viral, you see how many people watch the Olympics and what it can do for a sport. I think it’s great that both men’s and women’s cricket is being added.”

After Paris became the first games to achieve gender parity and given the growth of women’s cricket not just in England but worldwide it seems only fair that it should find a place at the next Olympics.

Knight continued: “Hopefully, it’ll open up new avenues of funding for different countries. Hopefully, we’ll grow the game globally.”

The women’s game in England has grown exponentially in the last few years thanks to The Hundred.

The double headers in both the T20 competition and The Hundred give fans the opportunity to see two games for the price of one as the men and women play one after the other.

Knight said: “The Hundred has been amazing for women’s cricket in this country. We had 17,000 people in for a game last week, for a domestic game that’s unheard of before the hundred. The fact they’ve put the games together has allowed us to piggyback and have more of an equal pedestal. We get to show off what we can do and people get to watch two games of cricket.”

The 33-year-old who is currently playing for London Spirit in the competition has noticed a shift in the demographic of fans that are attending games in this competition.

She said: “The demographic of the crowds is crazy. I was watching the men’s game after ours last week and I went to the toilet and there was a massive queue for the women’s toilet, but my partner went to the men’s toilet and there was no queue at all. I think it shows how many women and children there are these days that are interested in cricket. The crowds keep coming back and wanting to support the women as well as the men.”

It's a contrast to the typical demographic that go to watch test match cricket or county championship games and the women’s game has come so far since Knight turned professional.

“We didn’t go professional until three years after I started playing for England. I was at University and working for Chance to Shine the cricket charity. Now it’s my full-time job, the pay is so much better than when I started, there’s so many opportunities, I get to travel the world as a cricketer playing in franchise competitions.”

Knight insists the main priority is not equal pay but equal opportunities.

She said: “We’re working towards equal opportunities, not just equal pay, I think that’s the important thing. There’re still obviously things we can do better in terms of coverage and access to the game. The professional pathways for young girls are now starting to become a lot more similar to young boys, which wasn’t the case when I was growing up.

“As a professional game, it’s still in its infancy and I think remembering that the men’s game has had so much time to get to where it is now is important. So, it will take a bit of time but that’s the goal to have equal opportunity and equal pay in the future.”

Knight is currently part of an ECB campaign alongside Jimmy Anderson and Ben Stokes called My Way to Play.

The campaign aims to promote cricket in schools and at grassroots level, something Knight knows all too well the importance of.

In the interview with JOE she said: “I’ve been heavily involved in the campaign, which is about access to cricket, and getting cricket in state schools as well. As a state schoolgirl myself, I know about the lack of facilities.

“We had a little astroturf at my school, but it was covered in cigarette burns. People used to smoke on it during lunch so there wasn’t a huge amount of cricket and certainly not girl’s cricket. I endorse anything that wants to give young girls and boys opportunities to play.”

Knight was lucky, she had older brothers who got her involved in the sport. “A lot of people don’t have that,” she said. “Cricket has given me friendships, memories and life skills as well. I’d be keen to give anyone who wants it an opportunity to play cricket.”

The batter who grew up in Plymouth also spoke to JOE about the adaptation she had to make when she became captain of England back in 2016.

“I guess it changes how people look at you a little bit. Cricket is unique because you’re involved in a lot of decisions around selection and who bowls at certain points. So, I guess naturally there’s sometimes a little bit of water between yourself and your teammates.

“That changes overnight so dealing with that and looking after your own form, it’s really important because you’ve got your job as captain, but you’ve still got your job as a cricketer and as a batter. It’s a job I’ve loved doing though, you learn a lot about yourself, how to communicate, how to manage people.”

Knight captained her country to win the cricket World Cup in 2017 on home soil at Lords and though she admits she is at the back end of her career she is still enjoying her cricket and playing well.

She has earmarked her next job though, commentating at the Olympic Games in LA.

Heather Knight was speaking as part of the ECB’s latest campaign to support more people to find their way to play cricket, no matter if that is at home, in school or in the community. More information on the campaign and local opportunities to play cricket can be found at www.ecb.co.uk/play.