Wrong if we aren't working towards pay parity: Alyssa Healy

Power game in women's cricket going to increase further: Healy
NEW DELHI: Captain of the

Australian women's team

,

Alyssa Healy

is a no-nonsense girl. She wears her heart on her sleeve on the field, and off it she is quite pragmatic.
In India to lead the UP Warriorz in the ongoing Women's Premier League, Healy took out time from her busy schedule to speak to TOI on a range of questions.

From pay parity in cricket to the increasing significance of power factor in the women's game, Healy's answers were precise and incisive.
Excerpts...

We are in the second edition of the WPL, what do you think how has the tournament contributed to women's cricket?
The tournament is continuing to grow, women's cricket in India is growing. The crowds have been amazing and got behind us. We are playing in two new cities (Bangalore and Delhi), we obviously have played in Mumbai. The standard of the game has continued to improve, which is exactly the point of the competition. It's about creating depth in Indian cricket. We are seeing more and more young players confident in performing on the big stage. That's going to do wonders for Indian cricket in the next 10-15 years.

And how does the tournament help the international cricketers?
For us, I think it's about sharing the knowledge, sharing the experience we have. I want to win World Cups, but I see the game from a broader perspective. If I can share some of the knowledge that I've gained over the last 15 years then I am helping grow the game as a whole.
The women's game is also evolving. Recently, Shabnim Ismail clocked 132.1 kph on the speed gun, Harmanpreet Kaur hit a six that was measured at 95m. The power factor has increased in women's cricket?
All this is basically part of becoming a professional athlete. The amount of time you give to training and learning your craft, getting fitter, getting stronger. That's helping the game improve as a whole. People are getting more dynamic, more powerful, the bats are also a lot better than what they used to be. Harman's bats are unbelievable. The fact that a combination of all those things have come together is going to increase the power factor in the game.

We have seen tennis players being outspoken about pay parity. What are your thoughts on pay parity in cricket?
That should be the goal. If we are not working towards that, then we're doing the wrong thing. The women's game is continuing to grow and it's actually the fastest growing market in the sport. The men's game has always been quite successful. We are now starting to bring in more revenue, we're growing the game, and if we continue to work towards the ultimate goal then we will definitely reach it. The

BCCI

has done it for the girls in India, New Zealand have pay parity as well in terms of match payment. So, things are improving.
The other day there was this pitch invader in Bengaluru, what happened there, what was going through your mind?
(The tackle to the pitch invader) It was silly on my part, but he too made a dumb choice to run on the pitch. That was all that really happened. I didn't do much, maybe my tackle technique needs some work. (laughs)
Do you think the women's game should see more Test matches - the ultimate form of the sport?
I would love to see more Test matches played, but it needs to have context. There has to be a purpose for playing them. One-off Test matches don't make sense. If you give Test matches more context, then I see them happening more and more. But just to play one-off like we (Australian team) did against India last year - that was hard - we didn't get to learn too much about the conditions. It didn't really help anybody. I would like to see more, but whether it fits into the calendar I'm not too sure.

Cricketing couples are rare to see. You and Mitchell Starc are one... do you exchange notes about the game back home?
No, there's none of that. We've two separate sets of coaching staff that tell us what to do and I don't need to tell him what to do and he doesn't need to tell me what to do on a cricket field either. That's somebody else's job. We actually don't talk too much cricket. We do talk about the game as a whole, but as far as value adding in one another's game I feel it's dangerous, you shouldn't do that.
But there might be times when you are feeling low, not scoring runs, or he is not getting wickets, then being the support system for each other...
Ohh yes! That's the beauty of being in a position that we are in. He doesn't need to tell me if he is not going very well, I know when he is not going well. So the support is always there. Fortunately, we share a lot of interests outside of the game of cricket and that takes our mind away from the game when we are struggling, gives us an opportunity to be fresh and unwind.
You made your international debut in 2010. From then what kind of changes have you witnessed to the women's game?
The professionalism has gone up by leaps and bounds. There are more professional cricketers in the women's game now than what was there in 2010. In 2010, a lot of them were part-time, training after work or after school. The professionalism of the game as a whole has developed and that's created better cricketers, more dynamic athletes.
How has India been to you? Food, culture etc...
I genuinely love coming to India. It's one of the most unique places in the world and as a cricketer you're always very well looked after. I have been a little bit sick on this trip, but I can't blame the food. I do love my Indian food, let me declare that.