Hello and welcome to Stumped, your intercontinental hit of news, features
and debate from the quirky world of cricket. I'm Alison Mitchell and I'm back in Melbourne. You'll
remember I was in Adelaide last time we spoke. I caught up with some family members down there and
got a bit of a fishing trip in, I'm pleased to say, down on the Yorke Peninsula, which is about
a three-hour drive from Adelaide. I have got to thank Vicky, Dave, Jared and Flynn for a wonderful
evening and an overnighter, catching some King George whiting, and I even had a bit of success,
which is highly unusual. It was lovely to just get a little bit of outdoors time in between some work assignments.
Ali, I'm very envious. Jim Maxwell in Sydney. I was eating some whiting last week,
but I didn't catch it. It's fairly quiet around town at the moment. They're playing
a semi-final of the Big Bash, as I speak. The boys have gone to India. The girls have gone to South
Africa, so we're all sitting back and getting ready for it all to unfold as we go from one event
to another. So, the excitement continues. So does it in India. I'm Charu Sharma in Bangalore once
again. I'm at home for the All India Radio aspect of Stumped. We've had a fair amount of cricket
here in India, and New Zealand going down big time in the ODIs as well as the T20s. But of course,
all eyes are now on the India, Australia tour, where Australia are somewhere understandably
refusing to practise on the normal sort of zonal games and we'll just take care of ourselves till
the first Test match, because we don't know what kind of pitches will happen. But it's going to
be a great tour, without doubt. It's going to be the big one and we all do look forward
to it. Meanwhile, for me personally, a lot of golf, which is great. Get that handicap down, Charu.
That's what we like to hear! Now, there is a lot of biggies going on at the moment,
isn't there? Whether it's men's cricket or women's cricket, and first up on Stumped this week,
we're going to talk about the fact that the world's best female players in T20 have descended
on South Africa because the Women's T20 World Cup starts there next week. You remember back in 2020,
Australia came out on top in the last edition of the tournament in front of
86,000 spectators - a landmark night, indeed. And Australia will be looking to defend their
title in South Africa, but for one player being named in the Australian squad represents a real
remarkable journey. Kim Garth has previously represented Ireland at two World Cups. She
made her Ireland debut at 14 years of age, and she was in fact, the youngest player, male or female
to play a T20 international. But in 2020, she quit Ireland and moved to Australia to pursue her dream
of playing cricket professionally. Last month, the dream came true when she made her Australia
T20 debut against India. And now she's going to the World Cup, and we can speak to Kim now. Kim,
it's great to have you on. Just take us back to the year 2020, if you will,
and what must have felt like a pretty big move to upheave your life to the other side of the world,
specifically to become a professional cricketer. How did you make that decision? How big did it feel?
It certainly was a very difficult decision. But having spent a couple years over in Australia
playing grade cricket, and then being part of the WBBL as well in little patches here and there.
Yeah, I just thought every time I went home to Ireland in the Irish summers,
and Australian winters, I just wanted to go back to Australia and live some of the lives
of some of those girls who just get to play cricket all the time and do it for a job. So,
I thought about it a little bit... I thought about a lot. Obviously, I spoke to my family and thought
well I'm 23 or 24 as I was at the time and it's going to take me a good three years to
become a local, so it's a now or never kind of thing. I took the plunge and here I am so,
yeah, it was certainly a difficult decision, but it's not one that I've looked back on since.
You had to do that qualification period but was this T20 World Cup always on your radar in so far
as looking to get into the Australian team? Not really to be honest. I honestly didn't think about
Australian selection until it got quite close and I knew I qualified in September because
it had been three years since I last played for Ireland and got my residency. It was only then I
started getting included on a few emails on extended squads, and that kind of stuff. I thought
actually, maybe I'm not as far off as I initially thought. And, yeah, towards the end of the
WBBL, I got the call to say I'd be going to India, which was such a nice surprise. And
then once you're in the squad, you do sort of thinking about a potential World Cup a little
bit more and I'm lucky it to keep my place and in what is a very strong side. I'm very excited to be here.
Hi Kim, it's Jim Maxwell here in Sydney. Nice to be chatting with
you. And you've had a bit of experience with these World Cups, two of them, and you bowled
Meg Lanning for eight in that last World Cup, and also top scored for Ireland with 27. How
do you reflect on that experience now that you're playing with the Aussies?
It's a funny one really isn't it? I had a lot of fun with Ireland in those World Cups and World Cups are the peak for Ireland
who maybe don't play against the top sides as much. To be able to play in those World Cups and
test yourselves against the best sides in the world was always a really exciting time. I
remember knocking Meg's off stump back, which I'll have to remind her of now coming up to selection.
I had a really enjoyable time with Ireland and it's a slightly different
situation now where I'm in the squad. It's a slightly different dressing room now.
How do you feel with the group of players you're alongside who have got such a wealth of experience
and record in the game? Lanning, Perry, Megan Schutt - they're all there in the room with a
lot of other famous players, you'd have to say. It is overawing? It is and it isn't,
I guess. I do have to pinch myself every now and again when I'm sitting in the dugout, chatting
along with the girls watching the game. It's an incredible team to be part of. It's really, really
cool, but at the same time I've spent a lot of time playing against these girls and I certainly
don't feel out of my depth in the squad, which is a nice way to feel. I suppose it's just a bit of a
different feeling sitting in the dugout thinking no matter what situation we get ourselves in,
you kind of look around and you just have world class players everywhere. The cream of the crop,
so it's a really, really cool team to be part of. You did play for Ireland at the biggest stage,
the World Cup and will that experience of playing two World Cups for Ireland, of course,
a different team, stand you in good stead in your new set-up in Australia?
Yeah, I think so. World Cups are obviously the tournament you want to play in and they're really cool to be a part of.
You have all the best players in one spot playing against each other is really cool, but
I think in the last years in domestic cricket and especially the Big Bash, you've got
the best players in the world and you play against them for two months solid and you
play a lot of cricket against them. I think that's probably what will hold me in the best stead if,
and hopefully when, I get a chance out there. And there has been plenty of male Irish cricketers
who've made a move across to England to qualify to then earn international honours with England. Eoin
Morgan, of course, being the most high profile of those did. Did you look to them for inspiration,
that of sense of this has happened before and it could happen in the women's game as well? I can
also seek my own fortune in a professional game? Yeah, I suppose you do look at it a little bit and
Ed Joyce as well, who was the Irish coach at the time when I left, obviously played for England.
You look a little... I did look at it a little bit, but not maybe not too much in depth. The
situations are quite different in that with the boys going to play in the County Championship and
that kind of thing, so similar situations, but also different to this as well. Yeah,
I suppose it was cool to see that people had done it in the past and then as well
with the likes of Chrissie Gordon playing for Scotland, then played for England and I think
Leigh Kasperek did it as well. She played for Scotland and then New zealand and so had been done before.
But, yeah, as I said I was just kind of going over to play professionally and
be part of the domestic set up over in Australia. And Kim, we mentioned that you were just 14 when
you made your debut for Ireland. What do you remember of that match, of being so
young? What was it like? I was completely ignorant, I guess, in what was happening.
I don't think I was overly nervous. So, I was just going along with the flow. Things have changed
now, I'm probably the most nervous cricketer going around. I remember I think I batted at seven. I
didn't bowl, but I obviously absolutely loved it. It was against New Zealand, I think, over in England.
Times have certainly changed a bit. It feels like a lifetime ago. But I was just a young girl just
living the dream, I suppose. Kim, we wish you best of luck at the World Cup. Enjoy it and
Australia are defending champion, so there a lot for them to be chasing out there. Enjoy it won't
you, and thanks so much for being on Stumped. No worries, guys. Thanks for having me.
Next on Stumped, we all remember India's men winning the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa,
just prior to the launch of the IPL. Well, it seems history repeated itself with a first World
trophy for India on the women's side. It was the inaugural Women's under-19 T20 World Cup held in
South Africa and won by India, in what has to be seen as a landmark moment in the history of the
women's game in the country. They beat England by seven wickets in the final and it did seem
like perfect timing just as the Women's Premier League - the women's version of the IPL - is
getting ready for launch next month. A competition that is already raking in the dollars commercially
through TV rights, and team ownerships and now BCCI are looking for a title sponsor. Even the
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, commented on the under-19s feat. He called the victory "an
inspiring moment for the country," and legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar had his say as well.
He was on social media saying the win would "inspire a whole generation to take up sports."
Now Charu, in a country where women's cricket has not always had the same recognition,
hasn't had the same recognition as the men's game, how widespread has the reaction been?
It's been fabulous, I must admit. And congratulations to all the under-19 girls and all the hard work put in.
It's just brilliant that they actually won the first edition. So, whatever happens thereafter,
the under-19 World Cup, the Indian women will remain the first ever winners, which is quite an
accolade. It's brilliant for these young girls and a lot of them are actually pretty young,
not close to 19 some of them are 16, 15, even. So, a fabulous achievement. I think there was
a lot of cricket going on. So, the timing media wise wasn't fabulous, because I think it was a big
weekend with so many other major sporting events going on. Luckily, that ripple effect is still on
and just a short while back in the final T20 India played against New Zealand at the massive Narendra
Modi Stadium, they were felicitated. Sachin Tendulkar was there, and a big cheque was handed
out of, if I can convert it into pounds, almost half a million pounds to the ladies. So, that's
all very good news and of course it will inspire. There are hundreds and thousands of youngsters to
take to the game, and so much more that I'd love to say about this. As you said coming
in the just before the WPL, that will inspire even more for sure. What happened to Australia, though?
What did happen to Australia, Jim? Charu, you mention when they were felicitated,
was that the lap of honour in gold, glittery cars, almost like a little train around the ground. I loved it!
Correct, and it was a wonderful occasion too, because it's a massive stadium. I've been
there some time back because there were some other national games that were held there. It's just awe
inspiring that stadium. Fabulous. Like a buzz, the energy. For these youngsters to be in there must
already be veterans now if they can handle that atmosphere. But it was a wonderful occasion, and
you're right. I'm glad you caught it. But back to the best team in the world at the under-19 level. What's going on?
Well, it was England who made the final, Jim, wasn't it? By a squeaky margin,
but they did well. And well done to them for getting there. But India were dominant, weren't
they in that final. It was an extraordinarily low scoring games too, those last couple.
Whether that's a comment on the quality of the batting, or the better bowling,
I'm not so sure. That was a bit of a surprise that they could not score more runs in those games.
Alison, the English team... Obviously, women's cricket is in very good health in the UK,
and I wonder what kind of news the loss in the final made, because it was a very low scoring
game where there didn't seem to be any real test. Overall, women's cricket in England,
I'm sure is not reflective of the fact that they went down so quickly and badly in the final.
There's a lot of talent and that is becoming as a result of the professional set up they have
got regionally now. Even very young players are getting an opportunity, via The Hundred
to play on these big stages in front of in front of big crowds. I think Jim, that's probably also
where historically the Women's Big Bash because it got in so early, has really prepped and prepared
Australia's players for those steps up the ranks right the way up to the top of the senior level.
You feel now that you have got three countries with India now joining in with the Women's Premier
League, who can all be giants on the stage in terms of the depth. It was always the depth,
wasn't it Charu, that India were worried about when it came to launching a T20 league. Did they
have the depth to sustain? They're not sustaining quite as many teams as the men's yet, but they've
certainly got enough and the under-19s performance has really given the country an enormous lift.
They've rightly been very proud of their team, and they have profile that perhaps other teams wouldn't have done.
Well, you make a very good point, Alison, because yes all of us were... and I'm
equally guilty of mentioning the fact that maybe the depth wasn't quite there in Indian women's
cricket and therefore the Women's Premier League had to wait it out and had to happen organically.
In that respect, the under-19 win couldn't have come at a better time, because now suddenly the
nation believes that there are many other young ladies who can actually play to a pretty good
standard. It may not be quite as good as the top 15-20 players in the country, but that's the whole
point of getting the Women's Premier League going that many of these other ladies will now start
believing themselves. Two of them play for the national team anyway - Shafali was the captain of
the under-19 team, as well as Richa Ghosh who is now more or less, the permanent wicketkeeper. So,
there's this osmosis of belief that the senior players along with the junior lot are almost just
as good. So, the depth is now beginning to show through. Jim, from the Australian side of things,
I didn't sense that it got a lot of traction or attention, the fact that the Aussie women weren't
in the final of the under-19s. Australians pump up winners, they don't like to highlight it so much
when they're not doing so well. Yeah. There were in the shadow of the national team. There
wasn't much publicity, you're quite right. Perhaps there would have been more had they got to the final,
but perhaps it was the time factor. Most of the games are played in the middle of
the night in Australia weren't they. So, maybe that has contributed, but there is no
doubt that the profile of women's cricket is all over the Australian team and that's fair enough.
They are very good. I dared to suggest at the Border Medal the other night when
I was sitting next to Steph Beltrame from Cricket Australia. I said this
Australian women's team is the best sports team in the world. And if they don't win the Laureus
Award this year for being that, I'll be very surprised. It's been on the cards for a while,
hasn't happened yet, has it? But you're right, they've got to be right up there in contention
for that and have some global recognition. Maybe cricket suffers a little bit because it's
not maybe the global sport that we all like to think it is. But as far as India's victory in
the under-19s goes, it could not have come at a better time for India with the launch of the IPL.
It is certainly going to ramp up interest ahead of the Women's Premier League. It's a big one. Well,
that's all we've got time for on this week's Stumped. So, I'll say thanks to Jim Maxwell
and Charu Sharma and to all of you and we'll speak to you again next week. Bye for now.