Test Match Special - How Australia won the 1988 Women’s World Cup

Episode Date: October 31, 2025

Alison Mitchell is alongside former England captain Jane Powell and cricket journalist and historian Raf Nicholson to look back at the 1988 Women's World Cup, where tournament hosts Australia won the tournament for the third time. Powell captained England in the competition and recalls her memory of the final.

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Deloitte. Learn how industry leaders in the energy sector have turned complex challenges into competitive advantage. Available now, wherever you listen to podcasts. You're listening to the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. Hello, this is Alison Mitchell with a special episode of the TMS podcast. We're going to look back at the 1988 Women's World Cup when Australia won their third title in a row. I'll be joined by cricket writer and historian Raff Nicholson to look at the key moments of the tournaments,

including Australia's dominance, and Jane Powell, who captained the England team to the final. You're listening to the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. Raph and Jane, great to speak to you. both. Ralph, let me start with you then for that historical context. What was the greatest significance of this 1988 World Cup to your mind? Oh, great question to start with. It's the first time Australia had hosted the World Cup. I think that was quite significant. They were kind of, they'd very much become a sort of powerhouse in international women's cricket by this time

and would have been massive pre-tournament favourites. So really exciting for them to host. And I guess that there was a sponsor for the first time. So the whole tournament was sponsored by Shell. That's significant because historically women's cricket had been very amateur and by that I don't mean that the people participating didn't care a great deal about it. But there was a sort of ethos that they were playing more for love of the game and weren't kind of trying to make women's cricket commercially successful

and actually getting a sponsor on board for the World Cup. therefore sort of, it almost felt like it was starting to move into a new, perhaps slightly more professional era, which I'm sure that Jane will talk about a bit later in terms of the preparations of the teams. But actually, yeah, just getting a big mainline sponsor was quite exciting moment. And this World Cup staged in Australia was part of that country's bicentennial celebrations. How did the World Cup in that sense fit into that? Well, there was loads of different things going on. in all of these different cities around Australia

to sort of, yeah, commemorate this kind of 200 years of the founding of Australia. And I think that partly it was sort of, it was the idea was that the government would therefore kind of supply some funding for the World Cup, which again was significant in the context of kind of women's cricket. And just that, yeah, just this being this big cultural celebration

and obviously Australia, a cricket mad nation. So to get some of that kind of love for cricket, then therefore to centre around a women's cricket tournament was quite exciting. I should say probably that even the idea of the founding of Australia is something which would have a very different conversation in 2025, as it did back then in 1988, what with the great rich history of Indigenous Australia.

Jane, let me come to you then. So it's a tournament that suddenly has a sponsor. What did that mean for you as players taking part? to be quite honest i'm not sure it had much of an impact on us if that makes sense so we still had to pay to get there um but once we were in australia for the first time ever we were given ten dollars a day to buy some food which which seems like ridiculous now but then it was like oh my goodness we've been given some money to go and get how far did that go not very far but you know i think there was a lot of short-courting i think nutritionists these days

would have a fit, really, because I think we went for the cheapest option we could to try and save money, so we could buy some souvenirs at the end of the tournament, really. So it was, but I think, I mean, it did raise the profile in Australia. So I think from that perspective, it was very good. But from an individual team perspective, I'm not sure we felt the true gist a bit. You know, when we arrived, we, and in all of the major cities, we were billeted out to people's homes. and we only came together in hotels the day before a match

and the day of the match and then we were billeted back out into people's homes so as far as team meetings were concerned it was interesting because it was very much like not last minute dot com but it was we just had to find time

to do it when we could really what are your memories of the people and the places where you were put up you know by that stage we'd had a tour previously in 18th 485, I think it was. So when you said about Australian dominers, I think that

1988 team was very much me as the old hand and then I had a really young bunch of players, you know, the likes of Joe Chamberlain and Karen Smithers and Jill Smith and Lisa and nine. All those youngsters came into that squad in preparation for the following

World Cup. So from that perspective, we knew that we weren't, I'm not even sure we were expected to get to the final. So it was very much go and blood these players so that they are better prepared for the next World Cup. So to get to the final was something special really because we actually did beat Australia in the match before in a penultimate match where if we didn't win that game, I think New Zealand would have got to the final, but we managed to beat Australia, which was, completely like everybody was like how on earth did that happen but i can still see it now patsy level taking the catch at mid off and throwing the ball up you know and that was it we we were guaranteed to be in the finals so we were delighted with that raff remind us about the

format then of this 1988 competition still 60 overs at this point yes so there were five competing teams um so obviously australia england and new zealand we've just heard about um but But Ireland and the Netherlands both making their World Cup debuts, which was quite interesting. So a couple of new teams and maybe some of these teams hadn't really faced each other very much. And the format was another round robin. But actually each team on this occasion was playing each other twice instead of once. And then there was a playoff for third place and also a final as well, like a real final. So Jane's right, that actually it was very significant that.

So I believe that Australia beat England quite roundly in the first match of the round Robin. And then Jane, you kind of fought back in that second match of the round Robin. And you needed to win that game in order to get to that final and face down the almighty Australia. Yeah, the first game was at North Sydney over where we had a bit of a shocker really. but the second game was at Richmond Cricket Ground in Melbourne and, you know, I've actually spoken with Lisa Nye and with Jill Smith in the lead up to this podcast just to double check that the memories I have of that 1980

weren't my memories of 84, 85 and they were very much like, oh, the atmosphere at the Richmond Cricket Ground was phenomenal because there was a lot of people there and we actually beat them. So, yes, I think it was a shock to everybody, but it was very much, as you say, we were thrashed soundly in the first game, but we managed to fight back. And that's a mark of, that's where young players, you know,

that's where they learn so much in coming back from a heavy defeat to come back and win the next game was just something quite special, really. When you talk about that atmosphere then, and there being a lot of people there, just paint that picture. Is this a, it's a club cricket ground that you're playing at? What is the vibe exactly of people sitting around on picnic blankets? Yeah, yeah, very much like, I don't know if you'll have been to Lilac Hill, Alison, but very similar to Lilac Hill in Perth in Western Australia, you know,

where there are, it's the quintessential Australian cricket model where people were, as you say, on picnic blankets, brought their own camping chairs, you know, but it just felt a really good atmosphere because it was, the ground was surrounded with people. Whereas, you know, you're probably alluding to the fact that the MCG, felt like an empty tin can at times because it's so massive. And I think there was about 3,000 there, but it looked like 30 people, you know, when you were there

because it is so massive and they can be hidden. Whereas Richmond was just, it felt like a lot of people were there and the atmosphere. You know, you could feel the buzz, especially as it got closer and closer to which way is it going to go and which team is going to come out on top. So from that perspective, that's the buzz of the game. And, you know, everybody listening will know that buzz when it's getting a close game and which way is it going to go.

So that was it, really. So five teams taking part. What other grounds staged all the matches then? Well, we played at Willerton Sports Club in Perth. We only played one game there. I think the others played two games because of the fact there were five teams. I think a lot of teams played two games there and we only played the one. So we were the one that missed out there.

But then we went to North Sydney Oval, which, I mean, it's great ground, isn't it? I mean, that's where the Bodyline series was filmed. And it's just, in many ways, that's one of my favourite grounds in Australia, just because I remember that series and can remember the cricket data of it. And, of course, went on to stage the final in 2009. Correct. Yeah, so it's a lovely ground. And then we went down to Melbourne.

And certainly we played at Richmond Cricket Ground. but I think there was a couple of other grounds that I don't recall, but I think we're used before the final at the MCJ. So, Ralph, which are the grounds staged matches then across Australia? Because there's quite a map there being painted by Jane going from Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, even, right, the way across the country. Yeah, I think because of the fact that it was this bicentennial World Cup, they were trying to travel around the country. So there were also some matches in Canberra and in Melbourne.

They also used a Carey Grammar School Oval. It was actually a school ground, it looks like. And we talked about the teams that have taken part, only five then. Why was that? And what's the story around India? Because they were originally invited to take part. They had taken part in the previous two World Cups. How come they were missing?

A great question. I'm not 100% sure on the answer to this. but I know that they thought that they were going because they assembled in Delhi for a training camp and then it seems like perhaps they couldn't get the funding in order to be able to travel and so the team were actually already gathered and then told, sorry, you can't travel to Australia.

So that was a bit of a kind of last minute blow. West Indies were playing together by this point as a kind of collective but were not financially able to participate and similarly Denmark as well who went on to play in the 1993 World Cup so were kind of playing relatively high-level women's cricket at this time

couldn't afford to travel. But Ireland were developing quite rapidly at this point so they'd set up their own Irish women's cricket union in 1982 and they sort of were gradually kind of getting up there and so this was quite exciting for them to be able to participate. And Netherlands have got a really interesting history of women's cricket actually

have been playing since the 1930s and we're one of the founder members of the International Women's Cricket Council in 1958. So we might look now and go, oh, that's a little bit surprising. But at the time, it really wasn't because they were up there and they were kind of playing high-level women's cricket. It's almost a shame really that Netherlands women haven't developed at the same pace as other countries who have gone on to continue to compete at World Cups right up until the present day.

Yeah, absolutely. There's definitely a story to be told there, a kind of unfortunate story of a relative decline. Jane, what was some of your standout memories from the tournaments? And not least, and we've heard, you know, going back to the 1973 tournament, where there it was some matches sprinkled in quite a lot of social engagements by 1988. How has that shifted? What was your ratio of matches to time off, if you like? interesting because I think we had a physio at the time Vivian, an amazing lady who'd suddenly woken up to the fact that we should be doing some fitness training and things like that. So remember

even before we left, she'd said, this was a great story, she said, I'll meet you at the top of the drive. We were at Lily Shaw training and she we'll go for a run in the morning. So we half a seven. So we met, assembled at half a seven and she turned up in her car and she said, right, as we

as you run down the drive, I'll beat my horn and you can run faster whenever I beat my horn. So you can imagine that led to a lot of team bonding, put it that way, reverse psychology of people not being very happy about this. But even that, you know, we arrived, we did three days in Singapore on route and we were out training every day in Singapore and we were away for 31 days and we literally had one day off in that 31 days because we were either flying, training, or playing.

So it was very much people realize you had to put a lot more into it but at the same time there was no balance it was even when we arrived in Perth we I was belitted with my twin sister which was quite nice because

that's what she was based out there because she was based out there by that stage and she had a park at the end of her road and we were all to assemble in the park Jill was doing a Barbie for us all but we Vivian made us run around this training ground in 100 degrees. We were all absolutely shattered before we had even started,

even in our Union Jack shorts that we'd been gifted from Ron Hill Sports, if anybody remembers that. So, yeah, it was very much. Cricket was central, but it was almost too central. Jane, I'm guessing that there would have been some eyebrows raised at the Union Jack Shores. Oh, very much. There were shorts as well, very short. Because you were still playing in these white collots that were very traditional,

but then you had the Union Jack shorts. Correct, yes. Well, at that stage, we used to welcome anything that we were given because otherwise we had to pay for it. So we were given these training shorts, and everybody was quite pleased that they had the Union Jack on. And, yeah, I mean, now I think, oh my goodness, did we really wear those?

But we did. And then we also got clothing from the graphic. and catalogue, you know, that, yeah, I think speaking to some of my teammates, it's like we wouldn't be seen dead in those clothes now, you know, we'd have a little bit more selection, but you just didn't have any option. One of the recollections that one of the team had was that we were all in economy class. I was going to say cattle class, but economy class. You can say that. And Rachel was in business class, who was our mother-old. Yes, and she came down with champagne for us all. So that's...

That was quite nice. Yeah, so you do have little memories that you think, wow, and at the end of every game, there was a great big pewter bucket there, and it had beer in it. So you could have a beer at the end of the game if you wanted, you know. I wasn't a drinker in those days, so Pepsi or Coke was my choice. But, you know, those that wanted could have a beer at the end of the game. And it was quite acceptable.

It wasn't, you know, even considered that that was anything wrong with that. So, yeah, many memories and many good memories, but completely different to now. The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. To embrace the impossible requires a vehicle that pushes what's possible. Defender 110 boasts a towing capacity of 3,500 kilograms, a weighting depth of 900 millimeters and a roof load up to 300 kilograms. Learn more at landrover.ca.

Hello, it's Ray Winston. I'm here to tell you about my podcast. on BBC Radio 4, History's Toughest Heroes. I've got stories about the pioneers, the rebels, the outcasts who define tough. And that was the first time anybody ever ran a car up that fast with no tires on. It almost feels like your eyeballs are going to come out of your head. Tough enough for you? Subscribe to History's Toughest Heroes, wherever you get your podcast.

And indeed, when you were traveling, did you have? have a team kit like a uniform away from match days? Yes, from the Grattan catalogue. So we'd all have the same trousers and blouse, I believe it was, you know. But Lisa Nye says, we look like British airway stewards, stewardesses. You know, so it was that sort of school uniform type of uniform rather than a national dress uniform. Yeah. Tell me about some of the actual cricket that was played in. We've touched on it. But notable that that World Cup, you would have come up against Sharon Tredreya, the Aussies.

How quick was she with the ball in hand? Yeah, it's difficult, isn't it? You know, I often think, if only we'd had a speed gun in those days, because Joe Chamberlain was quick. You know, Sharon Tredre was quick. And your mind plays silly games on you as you get older and you think, well, they're as quick as. Were they? I don't know. It's difficult to comprehend, isn't it? The only thing I will say is that the 100 metres record has improved since 1980. So if that's the case, then everything gets proportionately faster and quicker and more powerful. But for the time, then they were very quick, you know, and I think that's all that you can say. I think it's a fool's game to try and compare one generation to another generation. At the time, they were the quickest and they were potent forces in the. teams. Any other particular standouts? Yeah, the final was a real standout because

both people I've spoken to from the team both mentioned this and that is one of my vivid recollections is that Lindsay Reeler was caught down leg side by Lisa and I. She claims it's her best ever career catch but in those days you just had Australian empires you travel to Australia so you just of Australian umpires and of course the verdict from the umpire was not out um right they

but we did have big screens so they replayed it on the big screen to which we all stopped literally on the field of play and watch the replay so we need to pay this is actually at the MCG at the MCG yes actually see the deviation actually see that it was out that it was given not out and of course there was no DRS there was no please can you review that please can we go back and they would have been 17 for three and our plan would have worked because we'd beaten them with them chasing in the Richmond ground

we decided that that was going to be our route in the final it did backfire a little bit because it rained overnight the super supple wasn't used because it was only a women's game well I wanted to ask you about that yes I reckon in some pockets you could have run five runs easily of the MCG because it's massive but our plan would have worked because we knew that the middle order of Australia

just capitulate when the pressure's on. And 17th for three, that would have been real pressure. Sadly, that's another story because Lindsay really was given not out and they went on a Lindsay Reela who was a brilliant bat.

She was the equivalent of Jeanette Britton for us. I mean, Jeanette Britain was an outstanding player. Probably she would still be very she'd blend into any team of any continent even today. She was a batting superstar, great fielder and she even turned her arm over and got a few wickets

in this World Cup. She was outstanding but it all hinged on that one and part decision unfortunately in the final and we missed out. That's the long and short of it. It's taken me a number of years to get over it you know, because you feel a real failure when you're losing a World Cup final. There are times when you think, well, secondly in the world is not bad, especially to a team like Australia, but you want to win, you know, it's long and short, isn't it?

And just to put a little bit of context onto the significance of the Lindsay Reeler decision there, she was the tournament overall leading run scorer with 448 runs. She hit two centuries and two half centuries overall in the tournament, including 143 not out against the Netherlands, which back then was the highest court ever in women's ODIs. So she's sort of having this spectacular tournament is one of those players in a final who's clearly going to be really key

if Australia were going to chase down the target that you'd set them, which wasn't a fantastic target because of the kind of the wet conditions. And yeah, I think that Jane, you've actually said to me that Lindsay Reader herself potentially She said, I know I was out. At the end of the game, I said, you hit that. And she went, yeah, I did.

That's unparring. So you batted first, made 127 for seven. But first of all, actually, let's rewind to just the fact that the final was at the MCG. How did that make you feel? What was it like? Where were you changing? Was there any sense of, oh, my goodness, what is the size of this place? What was it like compared to where you had come from?

Yeah, I think whenever you play at any of the iconic grounds, you know, we were lucky on the 8485 tour because we played at the Wacker, the Gaba, the Adelaide Oval, you know, so we'd already played at some of the iconic

grounds, oh, I had in the previous tour and then, but we hadn't played at the MCG and this was the first ever women's game at the MCG, you know, and it felt big, it felt like it felt a little bit like we were arriving.

As a women's cricket, we were arriving because all of a sudden they're starting to give us the venues that we probably warranted, but there's times when I think, you know, do you want to play at the big grounds or would you rather play at the Boweral Oval? Because what, about 3,000 people came to the final? It was free entry, wasn't it?

Yeah. And, you know, that was a big crowd. for those days. That's probably, you know, it probably was the record crowd at the time, but it still felt a little bit soulless. And I think, yeah, I mean, but amazing.

I mean, to be able to say in your lifetime you played at the MCG is almost as good as saying you played at Lords or to say you played hockey at Wembley, you know, and I've been very lucky because I've had the pleasure of being able to say that, you know, and being able to do that,

which not many people in life can say they've played at these grounds. So, yeah, it was great and just disappointed that it rained heavily overnight and affected it a little bit, really. Not using the Super Sopper, though. How had the ground been prepared or not as it sounds for the final? I think the Wicter had been prepared. I think the Wicter had been prepared,

but I didn't feel that the outfield was looked after as well as it would have done, had it been a men's game. But, you know, looking back, you know, I can't believe now. We played 60 overs and we were so slow. You know, you sort of look at it and think, my goodness, how the game has changed for the better, for the better. But, you know, some of the scores that people were getting were quite typical for that time. And they weren't looked on as being poor.

They were looked on as standards, you know. So it's just how the game changes and evolves, I think, really. So 127 for seven in the 60 overs, England with the bats. Jan Britton, top scoring, about 46, not out. And then the Australians chased it down inside 45. overs, 44.5 overs, it took them. Raff, from 1988, what do you feel the, if you like, come back to that word legacy again, but the significance of the women playing at the final at the MCG, what do you think the result of that was from those looking in, what media

coverage there may or may not have been at that time? What was the situation? I think it did get quite a lot of coverage within Australia actually, partly because it was this tournament happening in the midst of the bicentenary. So that was significant. I think it was significant that they were back playing at the MCG. So they had

played a couple of women's tests there, but women hadn't played there since just after the Second World War. So it had been decades and decades. And this is the first kind of women's one day game and obviously women's World Cup final played at the MCG. And I think we could argue that it paved the way then for women to be playing,

for example, in March 2020 and actually filling the MCG because you've got to get back in the MCG and get back access to it in order for moments like that to become possible. So I think we can see it as kind of part of the broader history of women's cricket kind of coming back into the mainstream and into these really iconic important grounds. Indeed, the match was broadcast live on radio and on ABC television. in Australia. That crowd we mentioned, 3,326, the official number. And a record was broken, mentioned Lindsay Reeler, but making 143 not out, breaking the record for the highest individual

scorer for an ODI, beating a record that had been set at the 82 World Cup. That 82 record set by England's Jeanette Britain. So again, we've got a sense of landmarks being reached, and records being broken, I suppose, the World Cup. We're providing this platform, Jane, for such records to be broken. Yes, and I think, you know, the more opportunity you give to people, the more likely you are that records will be broken. Jeanette Britton was the standout player. But as I've already said, Lindsay really was very much the Australian version of that.

You know, both of them very attractive batters, you know, both of them are glorious covered drives, but could play 360 in an era where you didn't play reverse. shots but you could they could still access 360 with late cuts with leg glances you know etc so you're both very very talented people and you know records are there to be broken aren't they you know you set the bar um when you're playing you don't look at necessarily the records and it's only when you finish that you think oh we should I you know like my one day international record is 98 not out why on earth didn't I get 100 you know it's like I didn't even

think about that being crucial because we'd won the get you know we were winning the game so I won the game but I didn't even think about oh I probably need to get a hundred you know but in those days you know there were people Carol Hodges was player of the series I think because she finished third in both the batting and the bowling you know so she was player of the series because whilst Lindsay really topped the batting um one of the Australians who top the bowling so they weren't in both whereas Carol Hodges was in both

batting and bowling and you know it's just there for others to beat I mean granted it's 50 overs now but the pace of the game has moved on so consistently that records will continue to be broken and long may it happen really

now I was going to finish up with you Jane just on how when you look back at your experience of the 88 World Cup just how the game has evolved to 2025 with the way the shots are played, the bowling, the batting skills, wherever you've seen the greatest development? I think the biggest development has probably been in fielding

because I think there were great batters way back in 88 and there were good bowlers, you know, what's improved as being the fielding for everybody. In those days, you had at least two or three people in your team that you knew couldn't field, you know, so you were trying to hide them. Whereas now you can't hide anywhere because there were no reverse shots, for example. So you knew you could quite clearly just put somebody down short third man or gully

and it won't go to them very much or you could go fine leg and they won't be going there very much because most people were playing in front of the in front of square. But I think the approach, the fielding, the power hitting has improved. The bats, technology has improved because the bats are so much. You know, I picked up a couple of bats from the girls who are playing now and I'm like, wow, if you can't have to six with that, then no one, you shouldn't be playing really. Because in comparison, our bats, me, my bat was, I think it was three pound two or something. You know, it was very light in comparison to what they use now and very thin in comparison.

Nowadays, the middles of the bats. So technology has increased. the training of the girls has increased and therefore power hitting has increased, bowling, paces possibly increased but I'm still a great believer that the people who have the most impact in the women's game are the spinners

and I think that because the fieldings has improved then the spinners have become more effective as well. Jane and Raff, great to get your memories and your insights Raff on the 1988 Women's World Cup. Thanks for being on the TMS podcast. Thank you. Well, that's it for this episode of the TMS podcast.

Make sure you subscribe so you get a notification every time we upload. Also, check out the rest of the Women's World Cup podcasts we've done, as they're available on the TMS feed right now, as is the latest episode of No Balls with Kate Cross and Alex Hartley. And while you're on BBC Sounds, search for BBC Stumps while you're there. Thanks for listening. Speak to you next time. Bye-bye.

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I'm here to tell you about my podcast on BBC Radio 4, History's Toughest Heroes. I've got stories about the pioneers, the rebels, the outcasts who define tough. And that was the first time anybody ever ran a car up that fast with no tires on. It almost feels like your eyeballs are going to come out of your head. Tough enough for you? Subscribe to History's Toughest Heroes wherever you get your podcast. Thank you.