Being named the greatest female international cricketer of the century so far - what does that mean to you?
I don't really know how it lands in the scheme of what's been an amazing generation for women's cricket. It's certainly a huge honour to have been a part of that. Incredibly grateful for Cricinfo and their acknowledgement of the importance of the women's game and how far it's come.
An international career that's coming up on close to 20 years now. How have you managed to maintain your standards for so long, as well as that hunger to keep those standards where they are?
Since I started, every year has been new and exciting and has grown exponentially on the [year before]. To have been a part of that for as long as I have and to see the amazing change that's happened in that period of time, to improve my own game and be a part of a team I truly love playing for - all those things are so fulfilling. It's been so easy to be a part of it. Equally, I'm really grateful that I've had that chance to see so much happen.
Have you enjoyed that challenge of self-improvement? Over the last few years, particularly in the T20 format, you have been challenged to expand your game. Has that really motivated you?
I've absolutely loved it. It's certainly been a challenge. That's probably the most fulfilling part of it, not just on a personal level but having the chance to work with people to learn more about yourself, to find new ways of doing things, to be creative and inventive and access parts of your potential that maybe you hadn't thought about before. Doesn't mean it's always been smiles and roses, but I think that just makes it even better.
What are your memories of your debut, in Darwin in 2007?
More than anything, just pure joy and kind of amazement that I ended up debuting for Australia when I did [as a 16-year-old]. But yeah, super-different times. We were playing on a fairly community-based ground. It wasn't anything too special in terms of the stadiums that we play in these days. There was no one there besides a handful of family.
Even the life circumstances of all my team-mates… like, Karen Rolton was a captain of Australia and she worked for Australia Post full-time, so she had to take time off work to come for the tour. It was a really different period for the game.
Certainly no less important for all of us playing and just the honour and privilege to represent your country at a senior level. That was so cool. I always think back on that time with such gratitude to the group of players and staff I got to play with because I was sort of plucked from obscurity to be on that tour and then to get a game. But the way that that team embraced me and brought me into the group - without a doubt, no way I would still be playing if I didn't feel that sense of belonging from the very start.
Can you pick out a performance or two that make you especially proud now?
There's one that's really easy: the T20 World Cup final in 2020 at the MCG. I didn't get to play that game, but I just think the enormity of what that was for women's cricket - 86,000 people, Australia vs India. I know there were lots of past players in the ground watching that day, many more watching on TV, and it just felt like it was so much more than that one particular game. It was a real moment and also a nod to all the foundations that had been laid for women's cricket and every person that had been a part of that, whether they were player, administrator, anyone who'd worked hard for women's cricket and fought for its development. That day was just phenomenal, and from an Australian perspective, to play the way we did was just a big celebration for us.
And I think probably all the Test matches that we played against England in Ashes matches. They are rare occasions for us. To put a baggy green on and be a part of that with a group of amazing team-mates against an amazing group of players from England across that period has been really cool.
Your Test record against England is phenomenal - an average of 60 with the bat and under 20 with the ball. There was the 6 for 32 in Canterbury in 2015, when Australia had to win to get the Ashes back, and the double-hundred at North Sydney Oval in 2017.
Batting at North Sydney was really special because it's one of my home grounds. I had a lot of family there, in particular my dad, with whom I've shared so much of the experiences I've had in cricket. He taught me how to play. We have gone to the local nets since I remember. It's still something we'd love to do. He's the last person I chat to before every game. Knowing that he was sitting in the stands watching, it almost felt like I was doing it with him.
"For me, the essence of being involved in a sport is the enjoyment of it, like making new friends, learning new skills, sharing it with other people"
The game itself sort of petered out, so the same sense of fulfillment that you get from being successful with a team wasn't quite there. The wicket was probably too much of a road for there to be a result.
Whereas in Canterbury - to win the Ashes back is always a really special moment. That game looked like it was petering out as well and then we managed to find our way into a winning position, which was awesome.
I also played in an Ashes Test at the WACA [in 2014]. It was probably the most phenomenal game of Test cricket I played in. Like, every day the result could have gone either way. One team was ahead. We ended up losing that game, but I just thought the challenge that that provided [was great] - every ball mattered.
One of the earliest big matches you played was the 2010 T20 World Cup final against New Zealand in Barbados. Your footballing skills came into play in that last over, stopping a straight drive from Sophie Devine off the final ball. You finished with 3 for 18. Coming relatively early in your career, where does that game stand in your memories?
More than anything, I think that was the first time that I was a part of a successful World Cup-winning team, so nothing will probably ever match that in the sense of that pure elation and incredible kind of feeling after the last ball.
It had been a really bumpy road for us leading into that tournament. Then in the final, we only made 100-odd. I think we hadn't beaten New Zealand in eight or nine games [six] in T20 cricket on the trot. Then to come down to the last ball - to be part of that was just so cool. I remember the men's game was actually [the same day] and Australia played in that, so a lot of the guys were there watching us. And Barbados is a great place to win in and party. So being 19 or 20 years old, it couldn't have gone much better.
Who has been the biggest role model and influence on your career?
Without a doubt, my parents have just been phenomenal, and my brother. I just feel so unbelievably lucky to have the family that I do. Dad, obviously, because he's spent so much time teaching me how to play and he has done that in a way that's always made me really enjoy the game. I've never felt any pressure or need to succeed. I've just really enjoyed crafting something with him and sharing that with him has been unbelievably special.
My mom is probably my biggest hero. The way that she's worked her entire life, but then also been the most supportive and incredible parent to my brother and I. And then my big bro - we are like best friends. He's just the coolest guy. He does so much for me. He supports me so much. It's so hard to go past people like that in your life when you look back on how fortunate you've been.
But yeah, I've had some amazing coaches as well. Actually, a football coach, Tom Sermanni [former national coach for Australia]. He is just one of the most amazing people and provided me with so much when I was younger and taught me a lot about just being an athlete and how to manage yourself as a person. I remember how much grace he always had for everyone he coached and every staff member he worked with.
In a cricketing sense, Ben Sawyer and I started at Sydney Sixers together. He assistant-coached Australia for a long period of time and he's just always been willing to give me so much time and support to help me in any stage of my career.
Who's the best captain you've played under?
Every captain has been quite markedly different. And, as a result, quite fortunately, I've learned a lot from each of them. There is no one like Meg Lanning. Her fortitude, her ability on the field, in particular, to just remain so intensely calm and capable of making the right call and the tough decisions every single time. We had such a period of success under her and Rachael's [Haynes] leadership.
I've loved playing with Sophie Devine in franchise cricket and working under her. She's just such a character but an amazing competitor. [She helped me learn] some Kiwi ideals as well - they are our biggest rivals in a lot of senses, but I think, culturally, we can learn so much from them.
Seeing Alyssa Healy captain for the period that she did - like, we grew up playing cricket together and seeing where her journey took her and the player that she turned into was phenomenal as well.
I mean I could probably list everyone, but yeah, each of them have been so distinctly different.
Can you think of a moment in these 19-20 years that you felt has been game-changing for women's cricket?
A few, but some of them aren't particular moments. I think there are more subtle shifts, whether that's from not being contracted to being full-time professionals; from not really having crowds to, like, having crowds - it wasn't just overnight. Those things built [up over time]. Certainly something like the WPL has played a huge role, with the game growing in the subcontinent. Equally, the WBBL shifted so much of our pathway and development here in Australia. The T20 World Cup here with the crowds, even some Ashes series of late, when we've played internationally in England, and the consistency of people turning up.
Probably the last thing that really stands out to me is the way the game's covered. It [used to be] very top-line, just a result and that was all that was spoken about. There was no one there reporting on the game, analysing, critiquing. And now some serious journalists and pundits report on the game, speak of the nuances, are critical of performances, praise performances. I think that has been huge in just legitimising the sport really.
What would you say will be the next big evolution in the women's game?
It's a holistic approach and about being really creative and nuanced in our thinking of how we continue to develop the women's game. I think it's a natural human instinct to kind of copy what we've already seen. Obviously, the men's game is its own product and it's grown over a long period of time. It's alluring to want to copy that. But I think there's so much opportunity in us doing things our own way, creating a product that is so uniquely women's cricket. It's what people really enjoy watching, and they know what they're coming for, both on and off the field.
But it takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of investment, where sometimes you don't know what the return is going to be as well. So that's probably the era of women's sport that we're stepping into. I'm kind of excited to see where that goes.
How big will cricket at the Olympics be?
I've got no doubt the Olympics will be huge, particularly being in the [United] States. What an amazing opportunity for the sport.
You're now playing with the next generation of cricketers that's come through the system that you've seen develop. What advice would you give to a player in that next generation coming through?
For a young player coming through, I'd actually say: play as many sports as you possibly can and have as many experiences you can in lots of different walks of life. For me, the essence of being involved in a sport is the enjoyment of it, like making new friends, learning new skills, sharing it with other people. I guess it sort of feels like these days sometimes sport can become way too serious way too quickly, and there are amazing opportunities out there for people to turn it into a career, but at the very heart of it, it hasn't changed.
I think the essence is to go and have fun and test yourself and be active. It's amazing how far things can go when that's your attitude. I think if you skew it to be too serious or need to be good at something straight away, it takes all the fun and enjoyment out of it.