Cricket
Sara McGlashan, one of our first professional female cricketers, ushers in a new generation of White Ferns and helps coach the current crop of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Merryn Anderson reports that.
She’s a legend from the White Ferns past, but now it’s Sara McGlashan’s job to investigate the team’s future.
With over 200 White Ferns appearances in three formats between 2002 and 2016, she is the perfect candidate to take women’s cricket forward as it navigates a new era.
McGlashan had one of the longest running and most successful careers for New Zealand, and was one of the country’s first female players to sign – so she knows how much the new ‘landmark deal’ closing the pay gap will mean for future Ferns.
When T20 cricket is first contested at a Commonwealth Games later this month, McGlashan will be one of two assistant coaches for the White Ferns.
McGlashan was also part of history in 2004, playing in the first-ever T20 international – between New Zealand and England. She would quickly become one of the great players of the short form game and the top scorer at the 2010 T20 World Cup where the White Ferns lost the final to Australia.
Today she teams up with former Ferns head coach Bob Carter and under new head coach, Australian Ben Sawyer, with the White Ferns eager to continue from their disappointing sixth place finish at last summer’s 50-over home Cricket World Cup.
It will be the first outing for the White Ferns since the New Zealand cricketer announced a new agreement to pay women and men equal match fees, both at the national and international level.
The deal means the top White Ferns can earn nearly double their previous match fees for a year of international matches, and players in the domestic Super Smash and Hallyburton Johnstone Shield leagues have the potential to earn five times more than in previous years .
It is a game changer for women’s cricket and removes some of the financial burden of trying to balance cricket with a career for our female cricketers.
“It was really exciting news. Equal pay alongside the men with their match pay is really important,” said McGlashan, who was one of the first four female players from New Zealand to ever get a professional contract with NZ Cricket in 2013.
“From a financial point of view, especially domestically, many players work while playing domestic cricket, so it is very important that they are financially compensated.”
With the occasional Friday afternoon game, today’s domestic players with full-time jobs have had to sacrifice full days of work for their teams, which is why the pay rise is so crucial.
“That gives them a resource — whether it’s to cover the wages they’ve lost by taking leave, or to better support themselves financially on and off the field,” explains McGlashan.
NZ Cricket is also increasing the number of women’s house contracts on each team from nine to 12, supporting the development of young players – something McGlashan is essential for.
Her role for the past nine months has been the high performance coach for women trails at NZ Cricket. Her job involves developing the future White Ferns, including working with the U19 team to compete in South Africa’s first-ever U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in January.
“There’s also the development side of things, trying to create opportunities whether it’s training or playing for the group that is above the U19 age group,” explains McGlashan, who made her White Ferns debut at age 20. and later one of the New Zealand’s most prolific female players.
“It’s a very exciting role, one that’s fairly new, but something that’s obviously very crucial with where the game is at the moment.”
The White Ferns team for the Commonwealth Games is packed with youngsters – four players under 21 looking to make their mark on the international game. Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze, Georgia Plimmer and Fran Jonas have all landed New Zealand contracts for the first time this season after notable domestic seasons and are all potential future stars of the game.
“There’s a lot of talent and it’s trying to create an environment where the players thrive,” McGlashan said.
“We just have to keep giving those players opportunities. There are definitely a lot of good youngsters out there, and we’re already seeing some of those players come on the domestic scene with the Super Smash being televised, which is really good for the game. ”
Young White Ferns Georgia Plimmer, Izzy Gaze and Fran Jonas are about to fly to Birmingham from Auckland.
McGlashan started her own domestic cricket career with Central Districts in 1998, and now she jokes that there are “too many differences to mention” between where women’s cricket is now compared to her days in the fold.
“I think whatever’s in front of you at the time works with you,” says the powerful middle-class batter and wicketkeeper.
“But you’re always fighting for things, and I was part of the group that first joined the NZ Cricket Players Association. When you make those firsts, you always hope you’re doing something to help the future generation. And here we are with what has just been announced.”
McGlashan, Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Sian Ruck were the first players to receive a 12-month professional contract nearly a decade ago. It was part of McGlashan’s contract to work with Auckland Cricket to raise awareness of the female game, help develop female coaches and mentor emerging Auckland players. Until then, she worked as the national women’s development officer.
“I know today’s players hope that what they are doing now will look even better for that generation in five or ten years,” she says. “There are plenty of generations that have fought for something in time and it’s really cool now that they have that equal pay… who knows where the game will be in 10 years?”
McGlashan played two Tests, 134 ODIs (only Bates and Amy Satterthwaite have played more for the White Ferns) and 76 T20s during her 14-year international career, and played 14 seasons of domestic cricket for the Central Hinds. She spent a few years in Auckland before playing abroad in Australia and England. She was a star of the early editions of the Big Bash League, making four consecutive finals with the Sydney Sixers.
She grew up in Hawkes Bay with two teachers as parents and an older brother who would also play cricket for New Zealand. She jokes that she was destined to work with people and sports. (She also played top football, representing New Zealand at U19, before giving up the game to focus on cricket).
“I’ve always enjoyed working with people, especially children, and of course sports played a big part in my life,” said McGlashan, who is of Ngati Porou descent. Brother Peter, who also made 15 Black Caps appearances as a wicketkeeper and spent 12 years at the top of the domestic men’s scene, was a famous advocate for equal pay for female cricketers.
“I was always interested in going down that kind of path, unsure where it would take me to begin with, but those were my interests,” says Sara McGlashan. “I’ve always tried to coach a bit while playing, what to limit you at the time. But that always gave me pleasure when I wasn’t playing.”
McGlashan and the White Ferns team flew out of stormy Auckland yesterday, heading for the Birmingham summer and warm-up matches against England A before joining the wider NZ squad for the start of the Games. That’s something McGlashan never thought she’d be a part of.
“It’s a really great opportunity for me, and for the players too,” she says. “You would mention Comm Games a few years ago and never think it would be an opportunity for a cricketer.
“To be part of that bigger New Zealand team, so it’s not just a cricket team, it’s not just our team, it’s all athletes, will be really exciting.
“We’ve had some winter camps that have been on the colder side of things, so I think everyone is really looking forward to going to England where we’ve got pretty good prep before we go into the village.”
*The White Ferns open their Birmingham T20 campaign against South Africa on July 30 at 10pm (NZT). All their matches are broadcast live on Sky Sport.