Cricketer-turned-commentator Lisa Sthalekar has seen the many colours of Australian cricket throughout her storied career and beyond. The side has consistently reinvented its competitive strategies and championed a ruthless brand of cricket that has, over time, learnt to balance the art of ‘perform or perish’ and ‘protect those in the system’ parallelly.
Sthalekar hung up her boots after a famous ODI World Cup victory for Australia on Indian soil in 2013. Over the 11 years that would follow, she saw personnel change, new leaders emerge and talent churn, but the modus operandi of the system has only radicalised further to make it one of the most successful sides across the sporting spectrum, with Australia regaining the ODI World title after a nine-year gap in 2022 and winning four of the five T20 World Cups that have taken place since (2014, 2018, 2020, 2023).
Speaking at the ABC International Development’s Cricket Commentary and Mobile Journalism programme, Sthalekar backed Australia to bid for a record fourth consecutive T20 world crown in the upcoming edition in the United Arab Emirates.
“Australia is going to be in the semifinals. The side is the reigning champion. They’re going for four in four,” she said.
Much like during her playing days, Australia’s technical superiority and ability to seal tense moments in its favour are just as unmatchable today and a key contributor to that brand of cricket has been skipper Alyssa Healy.
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“In the 50-over World Cup in 2022, I was the expert on commentary and I was asked to call her century. They (producers) wanted a female voice to capture the moment,” Sthalekar said.
“I kept wondering about what I was going to say. But I remembered Australia coming up short in 2017, when Harmanpreet Kaur scored an unbeaten 171 in India’s semifinal triumph over us. Since then, the side went through a big change where they challenged themselves endlessly. I know that Alyssa had blamed herself individually, that she hadn’t brought in the sweep shots and the like. So she changed the game. I remember summing up how she has been the face of the change the setup underwent and how she had put Australia in the box seat.”
Healy, now a full-time captain of the team after the surprise retirement of Meg Lanning, has a chance to cement her own legacy in the Middle East.
Sthalekar picked England, India and a toss-up between South Africa and West Indies as the sides most capable of making a knockout bid, alongside the holder.
“England has been strong, though it’s played New Zealand twice (this year). The team lost against Ireland recently, but they didn’t take their strongest side to be fair. You do, however, get a sense that they’re building up nicely and they’re taking the challenge on.”
Lisa Sthalekar-led Australia won the 2013 Women’s 50-over World Cup in India. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
“India, of course, will challenge quite well. I saw the piece Harman wrote for the ICC where she talks about how the side was the finalist in 2020 and in the semifinals for a long time, how enough is enough and it’s time to bring home the trophy.”
Sthalekar noted that India’s focus in strategy might be a bit top-heavy with the left-right combination of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma being key.
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“India will rely on their openers to get off to a good start and then hope that the all-rounders come in. Players like Pooja Vastrakar (will be important). If she can stay fit and find rhythm quickly, she’ll be quite a handful for a lot of sides,” she added.
“India has the power, they’ve got the depth. It’s probably the 4-5-6-7 positions in the batting lineup where the discussions are. Can they actually score at a good rate? We have someone like Jemimah Rodrigues in that middle order who fired in the West Indies during the Caribbean Premier League but it will be fascinating to see if she does the same in the UAE.”
Sthalekar, whose commentary and franchise mentorship engagements with the UP Warriorz keep bringing her to India, was torn between South Africa and West Indies to complete the knockout bracket.
“South Africa obviously was the finalist in 2023. It’s a similar squad this time too, so they could push this time too. That said you can also never discount the West Indies.
“They’re like the men’s side, if they have a great tournament, then anything is possible. The great thing about T20 cricket, compared to the 50-over game, is someone can have a day and change the outcome.”
Fierce rivalry
India and Australia clash in the group stage on October 13. Sthalekar believes India has perhaps been the side to test the Aussies and their dominance the most in recent times. Lanning and Co.’s imperious win streaks - an unbeaten run of over 20 games once and 27 games the second time - were both halted by India.
That said, Sthalekar believes Australia still holds the edge due to better composure in crunch situations.
“Australia wins a lot, so there is a mentality in the side that they can win from any situation. For example, they got bowled out in the second game against New Zealand this month for 142. New Zealand in the first game scored 143 there, so they just needed to replicate that to win. Australia tightened its lines and pulled off a 29-run win in the end.
Alyssa Healy scored a match-defining hundred in the 2022 Women’s World Cup final. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
“So there’s always a belief within that side of making a win. You can’t hope for that, you can’t train for that. It’s just playing games and being in those situations and finding a way out. Most of those girls have experienced it.
“It happened against India too. Just when the side looks like they’re home, there’ll be one little thing that happens when the door opens a little bit – like Harman’s bat getting stuck and her being run out [T20 World Cup 2023 semifinal]. As soon as that happens, the Aussies jump all over it and that’s what makes them slightly different,” she added.
Benefits for the base
The 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup also marks the first time the champions of the men’s and women’s event will receive the same prize money. Sthalekar, however, as a player and an advocate in player welfare associations, believes the real upswing is for the sides lower down.
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“From a prize money perspective, I think it’s really good. But what I’m more pleased about than just the winner getting the same money as their male counterparts is how much money teams are getting for just participating in the World Cup. So it ensures that it’s not just the strong nations getting stronger and wealthier, but there’s an effort at growing the global game. Scotland coming in for the first time will earn money, probably more money than their national contract. The headline is equal prize money and that was primarily the intention but when you look a little bit deeper, they’d like to have a bigger impact on the game,” she said.
The 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup will be played in Dubai and Sharjah from October 3 to 20.
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