INTERVIEW
Follow UsGeorgie Heath might not be the most popular name when it comes to mainstream commentary, but she’s been one of the biggest voices for the growth of women’s cricket. Heath has been part of multiple World Cup campaigns as a commentator and has really cheered at the top of her voice when it comes to bringing women’s cricket to the mainstream.
She's additionally been part of several panels when it comes to women’s cricket, including doing radio and broadcast stints for TalkSport, BBC, and Sky Sports among several other platforms.
Cricket.com caught up with Georgie in Surat, on the sidelines of her time at Legends League Cricket (LLC). There, she spoke extensively about the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup and touched upon a host of topics, including rating England’s chances of winning.
Here’s the full interview
We all know that Australia are the overwhelming favourites going into the T20 World Cup. How do you view this conversation?
Yeah, I think it is a really interesting one. They always seem to be the out-and-out favourites. I think this year that gulf is slightly smaller. Until now, it's felt like everyone else have been playing for the second. But I think the other teams, due to the professionalisation around the world and the opportunity to get to play in so many more franchises [be it WBBL, WPL, or The Hundred], the gulf is now a little closer.
I would (still) say Australia are the favourites. They are a side that can leave out the likes of Jess Jonassen and still be strong. Amanda Wellington can't get a look-in in an Australian side. They are doing something right if they can leave out players like that.
But not just because I’m English. I do think England have a very strong chance this time around. A lot of them even had a great Hundred. There are some really exciting-looking teams in this tournament, like Scotland, who are here for the first time. That’s really exciting.
Someone like India is a good side, but they are going to have to fire 100% if they want to make that final, with everyone having to fire for them to win.
Do you think that moving the tournament from Bangladesh to the Middle East has levelled the playing field? Or do you still feel that Asian teams have a better chance at winning this?
I don't know, really, obviously, spin was going to be king in Bangladesh. But then if you look at a side like England, they have picked a lot of spinners in there. They have only got one out-and-out pacer in Lauren Bell, and obviously, Freya [Kemp] too can bowl a bit of pace.
Moving it out, I think, maybe levelled it out slightly because it [spin] was going to be so dominant in Bangladesh. I worry that this T20 World Cup is going to be flying under the radar a little bit. Obviously, there are a lot of us who are very well engaged in it and sort of know everything that's happening, including the changes. But moving it to the UAE makes it a little bit like it is a COVID tournament (sort of).
It's going to be a lot different if it were in Bangladesh, where you could have those crowds in, you could have that excitement. It's going to be very different and a little bit more under the radar. You never know. It could be an absolutely phenomenal tournament. And maybe we will see some incredible pace. But I think spin is still going to play a really key part.
England are in the easier of the two groups, so what kind of challenge do you think they will face? Are acclimatisation and heat going to be the two big factors?
Oh yeah, we [English] can't cope with the heat (28 degrees), and everything breaks down. Trains don't run, and you can't go to work. I think, obviously, they've [England team] been at the training camp out there in Abu Dhabi. I think it has been very hot. I was talking to Maia [Bouchier] the other day, and she was like, ‘It is so hot.’
Especially the technology that goes into acclimatisation and the ability to go out so much earlier to play in places like Abu Dhabi. So, acclimatisation isn't as much of an issue as it might have been before. Yes, it's obviously going to be very hot, but I think there is so much more support around acclimatisation, so it might not be as big a factor as it might have been, maybe 5-10 years ago.
Danni Wyatt and Amy Jones, do you feel that they could be the X-factors, considering both of them are good players against spin?
I think they are two very phenomenal players. Obviously, Danni Wyatt has been there as a stalwart for England for quite a long time now, and when she fires, she really fires. Someone like Amy Jones, she's had a very up-and-down career, and I think maybe it's always going to be tricky when you come into a side following the footsteps of Sarah Taylor, who has even been referred to as the best wicketkeeper in world cricket. That's always going to be big shoes to fill. And sometimes you see her [Jones], and you're like she has so much potential, we know what she can do, and she just gets herself out.
But yes, as you say, a very good player of spin, and that's someone that you really want to be able to come in lower down the order and just get those final bonus runs, especially in a T20 World Cup, rather than, say, a 50-over. I think something like that is really crucial if she can get a quick fire, 20 (15), 25 (18), and then it gives you that momentum for the bowlers coming in after that.
Wyatt up the top. If she and Mai Bouchier's partnership can fire together up at the top and set that kind of foundation. You've got the likes of Heather Knight, who's in really good form. Alice Capsey, who we know, can hit a very big ball coming in the middle. That's kind of the real recipe that you want. You've got your hors d'oeuvres coming in up the top to get you really hungry. You've got your main course and then someone like Amy Jones and Sophie Ecclestone to come in lower down as the dessert.
Now that you spoke about the aggressive pair, could you talk about one of England’s greatest-ever players, Nat Sciver-Brunt? How crucial will she be?
Nat-Sciver Brunt is a once-in-a-generation player. She’s absolutely astonishing. Especially with the bat, both while anchoring and then putting the pressure back on the opponents. We saw her in the women's Ashes last summer; she just took on the Australians and made everyone look mortal, and there was nothing anyone could do.
She is so crucial to this England side because of what she has to offer with the ball as well. She's more of a batter these days than she is a bowler, but she can offer those overs and take those key wickets. Nat is someone who is such a key cog in that England side, not just in terms of her ability but her experience as well. Obviously, she's captained it at times when Heather Knight wasn't there [Commonwealth Games] and was sensational. I'm sort of running out of superlatives to describe her, but she is one of the absolute greatest female players of all time.
I think she said she's eyeing up the Olympics potentially. She's a very integral part of that England side with her experience too. She hits such a big ball and is such an exciting, explosive player at times. But whenever you talk to her, she’s quite calm and has got a good sense of humour. I think that's something that's really important as well. It's not this sort of cliched thing. They're [England] a big, well-oiled unit, and I think they just really enjoy touring together, which is great because they seem to be away a lot.
Now that you are in India for the Legends League, we have to ask you about India’s chances at the upcoming World Cup. Are you expecting India and Australia to give away their secrets in the group stage, or will they hold them back?
I'm not sure Indian cricket ever really holds back many secrets. It's sort of go out firing [men's or women's]. So, I think they would want to put down a marker because there has been a bit of talk about them not quite living up to their potential.
Obviously they didn't win that Asia Cup that people beforehand were saying, ‘Why are we even playing this? India are going to win it.’ Then they got quite well beaten in the final by Sri Lanka, so they do have that real potential, but I just don't think they have quite that X factor of, say, Australia to get over the line. They are there and there about.
But they could struggle at times to give themselves a real chance of making it to the final. If a few don’t fire, they have a problem. Then, it becomes a bit fractured. It becomes lots of individuals playing in a team rather than a team of united individuals. So I think they're going to have to really fire on all cylinders if they want to make the final.
And then they're going to have to bring out something quite special if they were to beat whoever the other finalists are. It might not be Australia, but I'm going to say if they're going to beat Australia [who would probably be the other finalists].
Because you have followed women’s games for a long time, you know they are already professional. How important is it to further professionalise the game and help the youngsters focus on just the game?
Yeah, it's always important, you've always got to keep them coming. I will always bang the drum for women's cricket, and I don't see it as ‘For me as a broadcaster, you know, some people say you do women's cricket [commentary], and then you step up to work on men's.’
For me, I will happily work across women's/men's. I do more work in women's than men's cricket, and I don't see that as a step down from working in men's [cricket]. But I think it is so important to keep encouraging youngsters to come in and get the opportunities. Nowadays, these young women’s cricketers get an opportunity to play the final at Lord’s and whatnot, even at a U-16 level. The change is quite astonishing that now I feel that young women can pursue cricket as a profession.
There are some happy byproducts of COVID, which made both men’s and women’s cricket to be played as a double-header on the same day. It wasn’t originally the plan, but it was good for women’s cricket, wherein they now played on bigger grounds, unlike Leicester and Derby, where they used to play before. The crowd turn up in numbers and supports both men’s and women’s cricket.
They [the crowd] are just there and excited by their hero, be it Danni Wyatt or Will Jacks. They just love cricket, and they love seeing good cricket. I think the women’s cricket is very good and has boosted the crowd as well.
You have spoken passionately about everything until now. We just want to know your opinion on equal tournament pay for both men’s and women’s cricket. How vital is it to secure the future of these players?
I think when you're a professional cricketer, you just want to be able to focus on cricket. Earlier, you used to worry about both playing cricket and then paying bills. But now you don’t have to really worry about a lot of those things, and that’s great. Because when you enjoy cricket, you can perform better, and you don’t have to worry about doing side hustles.
You no longer have to worry about paying for your own flight or selling your clothes on the side to raise more money like you used to at one point. You can now just focus on your game, and on your skill and ability as a cricketer. The players can now just worry about enjoying their life as a cricketer and to think of it, I’m just very jealous of how much the women’s sport has grown over the years.
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