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Posted: 2024-10-25 23:00:49

It was December 2015 and Meg Lanning was in for a big day.

At an overcast Junction Oval, she pulled on her Melbourne Stars kit and wiped zinc across the bridge of her nose in preparation for a double-header.

Ten months earlier, Lanning stood alongside Ellyse Perry as Cricket Australia unveiled its plans to launch a Women's Big Bash League.

This move, they hoped, would grow the profile and professionalism of the game, inspiring women and girls across the country to pick up a bat or ball.

Eight teams were agreed on to mirror the men's city franchises, and the wheels were in motion.

Ellyse Perry of the Sydney Sixers

Ellyse Perry of the Sydney Sixers hits a ball into the harbour at Luna Park. (Getty Images: Mark Kolbe)

Squads were signed and the inaugural season was launched with a photo shoot at Sydney's Luna Park, where players hit tennis balls off a barge into the harbour.

For those who had long been toiling away for their state in the 50-over Women's National Cricket League, the kits were brighter, the contracts greater, and the stakes higher than ever before.

Lanning had been busy in the lead-up, guiding the national side to victory in the Ashes.

Individually, she'd had a brilliant tour highlighted by a century in Bristol and had propelled up the ICC rankings to become the world's best female batter.

A player plays a shot as another stands behind with helmet and gloves

Lanning strikes the ball as Beth Mooney keeps behind. (Getty: Michael Dodge)

Now she was home on Australian soil and eager to see if the WBBL would it live up to the hype.

Lanning won the toss in both opening matches against the Brisbane Heat and claimed consecutive Player of the Match awards in a matter of hours.

The Stars went undefeated after she'd reached 90 runs and 75 not out across the two games.

It was a groundbreaking time for women's sport and yet, there are a few key indicators of how far the game has come when you look back on this day.

Australian tennis player Ash Barty kissing the Winbledon trophy after winning the tournament

Ash Barty kisses her Wimbledon trophy. (Getty: Clive Brunskill)

Teams no longer play double-headers, nor does the WBBL run in the same window as the BBL.

Ash Barty featured for the Heat during her tennis sabbatical, before we knew her as an Australian Open, Wimbledon and French Open champion.

Lanning is pictured sitting in a camp chair with her teammate and sister Anna.

And there is a very small crowd at the ground mostly consisting of players' family and friends.

A cricket match takes place in front of an old cricke stand with a small crowd in attendance

The WBBL crowds were humble to begin, but have grown dramatically over 10 years. (Getty: Michael Dodge)

Just 10 matches were televised and sadly this was not one of them, so there's no footage available for us to watch these iconic matches.

Compare that with the upcoming season 10, where every match will be broadcast live.

"The WBBL is so different now," Lanning told ABC Sport.

"Playing the same team twice in one day was strange – running out on the field in the morning, eating lunch in between and then going out to do it again that afternoon.

"At the time, we didn't think too much about it because it was new and exciting.

"You could tell it was the start of something big."

Two cricket players sit right next to each other in a camp chair and smile

Meg and Anna Lanning wait to bat during WBBL01 in Melbourne. (Getty: Michael Dodge)

Lanning finished as the leading run scorer that season (560), with the highest average (56).

Asked if she could imagine sitting in a camp chair waiting to bat in 2024, Lanning chuckled.

"No, no … I've seen this photo a few times, it's one of my favourites.

"I've got some great memories from the start of the WBBL.

"There were risks Cricket Australia took, not knowing how successful it was going to be.

A player poses in a teal jersey and smiles for the camera with white zink across their nose

Ash Barty ahead of her WBBL debut. (Getty: Michael Dodge)

"T20 has been such a driver to attract fans and increase participation, so it makes sense … but there were questions about whether there was enough depth to fill eight teams.

"I guess you've got to start somewhere, and it has certainly paid off 10 years down the track."

So, how did the Stars prepare tactics for Barty all those years ago?

The 19-year-old tennis prodigy had played just one WNCL match for Queensland ahead of her WBBL debut, so she was a bit of an enigma.

In the first match, Barty tallied 39 runs batting sixth.

It would end up being her highest score before her cricket career petered out.

"We didn't know what plans to come up with, because she hadn't played a hell of a lot of cricket," Lanning said.

"She did quite well in the first match, hit a few boundaries and took on the game, so it was a learning curve for us as much as it was for her.

"In saying that, she didn't look out of place — it is funny to think she was there for the very first WBBL game before going on to do such incredible things in tennis."

A player gets down on one knee and plays a shot

Dual-code star Ash Barty hits a ball for the Brisbane Heat. (Getty: Michael Dodge)

Perhaps the easiest way to assess the progress of the competition is by numbers.

Back then, the average wage for a primary squad member was approximately $5,700.

Now, it is just under $49,000.

Additionally, the average female domestic cricketer in Australia without a national contract earns approximately $163,000 from their WNCL state and WBBL commitments.

Lanning has retired from internationals but is still highly sought after for franchise cricket.

She has played in the Indian Women's Premier League and The Hundred in the UK.

A team of women's cricketers celebrate on a podium with a trophy as confetti falls and a sign in background "WPL FINAL 2023".

The WPL has offered huge playing contracts in India. (Getty Images: Pankaj Nangia)

But Lanning says nothing compares to the competitive nature of the Australian league.

"It has helped the younger players come into the Australian side more prepared, as from the WBBL they've already learned how they can make that impact straight away," she said.

"Rivalries have been built up with other teams, which adds to it too.

"You know the games are being watched by a lot of people, so that lifts the competitiveness and everyone's ability to perform under pressure.

"What we've achieved has driven other countries to create their own leagues and increase support for their female players to keep up — that's been great for the game worldwide.

"But the one thing that remains, is the depth of talent and the calibre of overseas players that want to be involved in the WBBL – that's what makes it unique."

South Africa bowler Marizanne Kapp punches the air in celebrating the wicket of Alyssa Healy in the T20 World Cup final.

Kapp will play for her fourth WBBL team this summer at the Stars. (Getty: Jan Kruger)

Thirty-five players have been contracted on a club list across all 10 seasons, including Lanning, current national captain Alyssa Healy and her vice Tahlia McGrath.

As well as South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp and New Zealand captain Sophie Devine.

Executive general manager Alistair Dobson told ABC Sport that it's the quality of cricket and the athletes' stories — like Barty playing in those first games — that have been a catalyst for success.

Appointed head of the Big Bash Leagues in 2019, right before the first standalone women's season, Dobson will again be at the helm as the WBBL takes its next big leap to larger stadiums.

"The standalone window gave the women clear air and prime-time coverage," he said.

"It's been a great evolution and so will our move into tier-one stadiums this season.

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"In the early days the WBBL did play there in double-headers with the men's.

"Our view is that it is the best women's league in the world and so it deserves to be showcased in the best stadiums, at Australian iconic venues like the MCG and SCG.

"Our players feel a real sense of ownership of this competition because they've grown with it over a decade and that makes for an incredible legacy."

The WBBL season 10 starts October 27 at Adelaide Oval, with a final re-match between the Strikers and the Heat. 

ABC Sport will be broadcasting the game live through the ABC Listen app.

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