SA women’s cricket captain Mignon du Preez is among the big-name cricketers involved in the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League, which is under way in Australia.
Her team, the Melbourne Stars, play crosstown rivals the Melbourne Renegades tomorrow (Saturday) with the match to be broadcast live on SuperSport 6 from 4.35am.
SuperSport caught up with Du Preez ahead of her first big game of the New Year:
Tell us about the team that you play for – who are they and where are they based?
The team I play for is called the Melbourne Stars and is situated in Melbourne. There are two teams located in Melbourne city, namely the Melbourne Stars and the Melbourne Renegades. We are predominantly situated at the MCG cricket ground, while the Renegades are at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne Docklands.
This is not your first time in Australia. Tell us about your previous experience and how has the tournament experience been for you so far?
I played in the 2009 World Cup which was hosted by Australia. That being said, it is my first time playing outside of Sydney. The experience has been very valuable to my development as a cricketer, having the opportunity to play on a variety of pitches and with a number of international players. Although my first couple of games haven’t gone as planned, I hope that I will make some valuable contributions to the team in the near future.
Women’s cricket is in a very healthy space in Australia; what has your experience taught you about the game so far?
We have had the opportunity to play on the most spectacular pitches (like the WACA in Perth), and while playing the opener for the men’s game you get the sense that women’s cricket is really on the map in Australia. Apparently, the television ratings for the WBBL televised games have actually been better than some of the local men’s soccer matches and as a result more focus has been placed to televising the WBBL games throughout the tournament. It is wonderful to see this amount of focus being placed on the women’s game in Australia and it promotes the game a fair amount. It has been excellent to be a part of such a fantastic event.
What has been the highlight of your experience so far?
Being able to play on the WACA was an amazing experience. However, I am extremely excited to play at the MCG this weekend against our main rivals, the Melbourne Renegades.\
Playing with cricketers who are usually your opposition must be interesting. What is the change room like?
I was welcomed and made to feel at home right away. The change room is very similar to what I am used to at national level back home.
A tournament like this is a massive step forward for the women’s game. Where do you hope this will take the game?
I am definitely hoping that the initiative catches on around the world in places such as South Africa, England, India and the like. The more the women’s game is promoted and the more the best female cricketers get to play against each other the better the level of cricket will become. In addition, the mix of local and international players within a team creates the opportunity for players to learn from one another within a team environment which certainly is encouraging for the sport.
Knowing that SuperSport will broadcast your game specifically, how do you think it will boost the women’s game?
Again, it is all about exposure of the sport. The WBBL has been a big success to date in Australia and it is very exciting to know that some of the excitement of the ongoing tournament will be shared back home via SuperSport. For upcoming players in South Africa I think it will provide a big boost to know that their efforts could be rewarded in future with a place in a WBBL team, which in turn provides the opportunity to showcase their talent to the world and mix it up with some of the world’s best female cricketers.