Cricket Australia's decision to implement changes which made the Southern Stars the highest-paid female sporting team in the country has been hailed as a key factor in the team's third consecutive international Twenty20 world title.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Coach Cathryn Fitzpatrick, captain Meg Lanning and former skipper Alex Blackwell all believe last year's pay increase for the country's elite players has played a big part in lifting the standard of women's cricket in Australia.
For the coach, it means better access to players to hone their skills. For the players, it means they can take time off work or study to concentrate on their game.
Fitzpatrick, who represented her country from 1991-2006, recalled worrying about her finances while on tour, but said she would not have had as many concerns today.
The top female player in the country can earn as much as $80,000 a year while all team members are given $250 a day on tour, which means Fitzpatrick's proteges do not have to fret about making ends meet like their coach once did.
"It does help because there's less stress around other things," Fitzpatrick said on Wednesday at the team's welcome home reception at the SCG.
"It helps their preparation off the field. You go to bed and you're thinking about your plan and strategy not about "I'll be home in a couple of day's time and where am I going to find the rent or rego money?' It makes them more relaxed on tour and that helps."
The added financial rewards have reduced the pressures on players to find work outside cricket, which means there is more time for training.
"What I've found since the contracts is I'm doing more one-on-one training sessions with the girls because they don't have the work and study requirements," Melbourne-based Fitzpatrick said.
Blackwell was able to take two days off a week from her job as a genetic counsellor. That meant she could train during the day, reducing the need to burn the candle at both ends.
"Traditionally we've been 6-8 on a Tuesday and Thursday night, you get home late and there's a snowball effect – you get tired for the next day," Blackwell said.
"[Now] there's great opportunity for us to keep improving and create a gap between us and the next best."
Blackwell said the Australian team could become "scary good" in the coming years but they might need to be. The team they beat on the weekend, England, announced their own funding increase this year which its board said would create the country's first full-time professional women's cricket side.
"I've been in the team a long time and never thought I'd be a semi-professional athlete – it's always been a dream," Blackwell said.
"I often looked at the guys and thought if I could be a full-time athlete, how good can I be? It's come a long way in the 10 years I've been involved."
