ENG-W vs SA-W | A one-off Test 18 years in making that obviously highlights key issues in women’s game

The discussion around the lack of red-ball cricket in women's cricket is well-documented. There have been constructive developments as far as men's Test cricket is concerned. ICC came up with a new event in 2019, the World Test Championship, which runs in two-year cycles. However, despite the progress made on the men's circuit, there has not been any sort of advancement made on the women's side.

South Africa are all set to face England for a multi-format bilateral series, which kicks off with a one-off Test match in Taunton. In fact, the two sides face each other in the longest format of the game after a span of 18 years. In 2003, the Proteas women toured England for a two-match Test series, which ended in the favour of the hosts with a scoreline of 1-0.

Hence, the one-off Test match has been a long time in the making. The sheer negligence of the ICC to keep looking away from developing women's red ball cricket cannot be questioned enough. Although women's cricket does not bring the kind of revenue as their counterparts do, yet recent Test series have shown that women are more than capable of doing justice to the saying: "Test cricket is the best form of the game."

In the past eight years, only nine Test series have been in women's cricket. This stat may come as a surprise to many cricketing fans, given that there are about at least 10-15 Test series held each year in men's game. 

South African women's last taste of red-ball cricket came way back in 2014, when they toured India for a one-off fixture. Unfortunately, the visitors were again handed a convincing defeat by an innings and 34 runs.

As far as England is concerned, Heather Knight and Co. do have some red-ball cricket experience under their belt. They recently locked horns against arch-rivals Australia in the Ashes. 

The visitors will be spearheaded by all-rounder Sune Luus who will want her side to put up a fight against England. South Africa have a reasonably experienced squad with plenty of talent in their ranks. Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee and Shabnim Ismail will be among the key Protea players to watch out for. Protea players to watch out for. 

The fixture panned out to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller, with both sides sharing the spoils at the end of four days of gruelling cricket. Both sides have an opportunity to make a case for consistent red-ball series in women's cricket.