England's Laura Marsh Optimistic of a Bright Future for Women's Cricket

England bowler Laura Marsh believes the recent ECB investment into the women’s game is nothing short of what they deserve following years of success and domination.

Since making her international Test debut during India’s 2006 summer tour where she claimed figures of 3/44, Marsh has helped England retain the Ashes in early 2008 before the team went on to enjoy an unbeaten summer.

The 25-year-old Kent player was also a key member of England’s squad during their World Cup and World Twenty20 triumphs in 2009. Her match-winning performance against Pakistan in the World Cup saw her produce figures of 5-15 and become lauded as the future of the women’s game.

Despite losing the ODI series in January this year to Australia, England bounced back to win the Twenty20 series in emphatic fashion, thrashing the hosts 4-1.

That success continued into the summer when they won the Quadrangular series – involving Australia, New Zealand and India – comfortably beating Australia in the final by 34 runs.

England are currently on tour in South Africa, where they recently whitewashed their hosts 3-0 in the ODI series and head into the upcoming Twenty20 series brimming with confidence.

Prior to leaving for South Africa, Marsh explained how assured the squad was following their Quadrangular series win and how they will be looking to draw on that success to triumph in South Africa.

“I think the most encouraging thing from the Quad series is that we probably didn’t play our best cricket and we still managed to come away with the win,” Marsh said.

“There’s still a lot for us to work on and to improve on and hopefully we can come back from South Africa with another two series wins.”

Half of that goal has been completed as Marsh and her teammates head into the Twenty20 series beginning on 27 October.

Before they left on tour, the women’s setup was buoyed by the news the ECB would be doubling its investment, which included tour fees and incentivized appearance fees for the first time, following their incredible success in recent years.

And Marsh believes it will provide further progress to the flourishing women’s game.

“It’s a massive step forward and it’s fantastic the ECB have given us recognition for our recent success,” she stated.

“They are putting a lot into the current squad so we can continue to be successful and hopefully the extra funding will allow us to continue with our success on the pitch.”

A week prior to the investment announcement, the women’s game was boosted by the arrival of a number of specialist coaches to work across women’s and girls cricket, another sign of the confidence the ECB have in the future of women’s cricket in Britain.

“We have shown what we can do in the last few years and we have clearly given the ECB the confidence we can continue to do well,” Marsh added.

“I think with these extra things being added to improve the women’s game, it will only increase our chances of sustained future success.”

For a sport that has long been regarded as a middle-class, male dominated game, the financial injection and improvements to women’s cricket is certainly challenging the old order of things.

To be fair, it would have been extremely difficult for the ECB to ignore the needs of the most successful arm of English cricket.

But while much is being done to further improve the women’s game, Marsh and her teammates are still required to balance cricket with bill-paying work.

Many of the squad work for ‘Chance to Shine’; the scheme that is bringing cricket back to state schools, but Marsh is currently working for her supportive father.

“I’m fortunate enough to be working for my dad and he is all for me heading off on tour and playing cricket,” Marsh said. “So I’m very lucky to have that flexibility where I can fulfil all my cricket commitments without much of a problem.”

ECB head of women's cricket Clare Connor feels the latest improvements to the women’s game are “a significant step forward for women's sport in this country and a great boost for the England team” and could provide a crucial step towards a professional women’s game.

If England continue to improve with the help of further investment, and the other cricket governing bodies follow suit, it would be difficult to envisage a future without professional cricket for women.

Laura Marsh is exclusively represented by Total Sport Promotions. For more information, visit www.totalsportpromotions.com.

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