Katherine Brunt “sick to death” as she calls for revamp to women’s Test cricket

01/26/2022

Bowling all-rounder Katherine Brunt has revealed she is ‘sick to death’ of Test cricket not evolving in the modern game, and has called for a revamp.

Brunt – who is England’ s most experienced player – is part of the national set up out in Australia for this winter’s women’s Ashes series.

Following the three T20 matches England will now take on the Aussies in the all-important Test match, with four precious points up for grabs.

Heading into the clash though Brunt, while she enjoys the occasion of a Test Match, believes the long format is in need of a revamp to fit with modern cricket, and be equal with the men’s game.

Ahead of Wednesday’s Test Match she said: “I just wish they’d tinker with it.

“We need to get on with making things more exciting, more challenging. The totals have gone up and up and the wickets have gone down and down.”

“We shouldn’t be playing on the same length pitches as men, we should not be playing off 22 yards, it’s wrong.”

In the last 10 years women’s cricket has seen just nine Test matches played, with the last four all ending as draws.

As a result there have been calls to reduce the length of pitches in the women’s game in order to make bowling faster, increasing the chances of bowlers taking wickets and providing batsman more scoring options in an attempt to end the drawing run within the game.

Should women's Test cricket go under a revamp? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Female cricketers also play with a slightly lighter ball than their male counterparts in the hope of generating more pace.

Due to this Brunt and her teammates play Test matches with the red Kookaburra ball as opposed to a Dukes, which in turn has a bigger seam which then generates more swing and seam movement when bowled.

However, the England bowler believes it is time Dukes develop a ball to fit women’s cricket, just as they have done for the men’s game.

She continued: “We shouldn’t be bowling in Test matches with Kookaburra balls, that’s wrong.

“The fact that none of us have ever bowled with a Dukes ball is wrong.

If you want to make us play over four days then give us a better pitch to bowl on and give us a Dukes ball to make it happen.

"Otherwise don’t put it on TV because honestly it even bores me so I don’t know how anyone else can watch it.”

Brunt’s long-time England teammate Kate Cross has also called for change in women’s Test cricket, as she believes it is time for her and her female counterparts to be playing five day Tests instead of four.

Cross commented: “I think we’re ready for five days of cricket now.

“I think historically that was around tour lengths and women apparently weren’t fit enough to be able to manage five days but I think we’re ready for that now.

“I think it could help with those draws that we keep getting.”

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