When the Australian women’s cricket team meets England today in the 2017 Women’s Ashes series at North Sydney Oval, they will make history playing the first women’s day/night test match as well as enjoy unparalleled media attention.
QUT Masters student Michael Ward has discovered the team is also echoing an important moment in Australian sports broadcasting; when a women’s Ashes test match became the first test cricket match to be broadcast on Australian television.
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“In an almost forgotten moment of Australian television history, the first test cricket match was broadcast on ABC Television in February 1958, nine months before the first men’s test went to air in December that year,” said Mr Ward who is completing his Master's Research Thesis on ABC TV Sport and World Series Cricket.
“The ABC televised the Second Test of England’s 1957/58 women’s Ashes tour which was played at Junction Oval in Melbourne and was memorable for another reason as well.
“Although the match was drawn, Australian player, Betty Wilson, became the first player (man or woman) to score a century and take ten or more wickets in a test match. She also took a hat trick – the first in a women’s test match. 
“The Oxford Companion to Australian Cricket describes Wilson as “the finest female cricketer of any era” with a batting average of almost 60 runs per innings in tests and taking wickets at an average of just 11 runs each. She was like a combination of Don Bradman and Shane Warne.
“It is disappointing but not surprising, given the lack of attention paid to women’s sport, that both her achievements and the place of women’s cricket in Australian broadcasting history have not been widely acknowledged.
“Women’s sport has had to fight hard for a space in the electronic and print media and for broadcast match time. After that first test broadcast, it was to be almost 30 years, 1985, before the next international women’s cricket match was broadcast on television; again on the ABC.”
Mr Ward said the last couple of years had been transformational for women’s sport with greater media coverage, better pay and a higher public profile for players.
“Recently, the Australian women’s cricket team has seen some improvements in contract conditions and payments, improved sponsorship and increased media coverage, especially live broadcasts and streaming of matches,” he said.
“It’s easy to put this down to recent success but Australia’s women cricketers (like their counterparts in other sports) have achieved success over decades. Australia has won six of cricket’s eleven world cups since 1973, more than any other country (the men have won five out of 11).
“The last two years have seen major achievements in Australian women’s sports – including the Australian women’s Rugby 7’s gold at the 2016 Olympics, the Matilda’s triumphs in 2017, Australia’s continued netball success and the AFL women’s competition in 2017.”
Mr Ward said this recent success had been accompanied by increased media coverage and apparent recognition for Australian women’s sport. With that increased coverage has come audience success.
“Almost half a million viewers, a record, watched Fox Sports and ABC TV broadcast of the women’s soccer W League final earlier this year. AFL women’s matches achieved audiences of over half a million viewers, and more than half a million people tuned in to watch the third Women's Ashes one-day international earlier this month,” he said.
“These are hopefully signs of a watershed moment in Australian women’s sport, not just in terms of success, but in recognition, media coverage, sponsorship and financial support and respect.
“The Southern Stars playing tonight at North Sydney Oval have every opportunity to make test match history, just as Betty Wilson and her team mates did 60 years ago. Australians will be able to share and acknowledge that success through ongoing media support for women’s sport.”
Cricket Australia will livestream the match from 2.30pm today
Media contact:
Amanda Weaver, QUT Media, 07 3138 3151, amanda.weaver@qut.edu.au
After hours: Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901, media@qut.edu.au
