The winds of change have blown hard since Lucy Pearson made an inauspicious England debut in 1996.
 Pearson has played just nine Tests in seven years, but is a regular |
Long gone is the rookie seamer who failed to take a wicket against New Zealand in that drawn Test at Guildford.
Nine Tests, 42 one-dayers and seven years down the line, Pearson has blossomed into a wily spearhead with the women's game at her feet.
Last winter she became the first woman to take 10 wickets in an Ashes Test and in May stood alongside Michael Vaughan as Player of the Year for 2002/03, her second such honour.
In wider terms, the 31-year-old has witnessed women's cricket in England go from little more than a hobby sport to the big deal it is today.
In 1998, the amateur Women's Cricket Association was swallowed up by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
The differences were immediately noticeable - not least a six-figure lottery grant - but according to Pearson only now are the fruits of the past five years ripe for the plucking.
"The WCA did a fantastic job on limited funds but in recent years there has been significant change," she told this website.
 |  I got into cricket as a hockey player looking for something to do in the summer |
"We are very much part of the board and therefore part of the development and infrastructure.
"Where before players were under financial strain just to play, now we are part of a major sporting body that oversees all aspects of the game.
"The lottery funding has been invaluable in establishing us, and it means we can focus on individuals.
"There was an expectation that the lottery would bring instant results, but I don't think that can happen because people have to develop a habit of working and training and that takes time."
The number of school girls playing club cricket has ballooned in the last five years, a shift pattern reflected in the make-up of the England squad set to do battle with South Africa this month.
 Pearson was Player of the Year in 2000/01 and 2002/03 |
Isa Guha, the first Asian woman to represent England and Pearson's new-ball partner, is just 18 years old, while Rosalie Birch and Lydia Greenway are other emerging teenagers.
These players are embarking on international careers in a vastly different climate to the one in the mid-90s that saw Pearson take up cricket almost by accident.
"These girls have some big decisions to make," said Pearson, who divides her time as an English teacher in Solihull.
"Cricket is not professional for women, but in many ways it is because now they can go from their A-levels to a university like Loughborough which specialises in cricket.
"They also have lottery funding which means they don't have to worry about finding work to make ends meet.
"It gives them every opportunity to develop and maximise their potential."
If not for an older brother and a desire to stay fit in the hockey off-season, Pearson may never have picked up a cricket ball.
"I only got into the game as a roving hockey player looking for something to do in the summer, and having an older brother helps.
"In terms of getting into the England side, I was playing for East Anglia and was invited to play in a friendly warm-up game with a few England players.
"I had nothing to lose, took a couple of wickets and a catch and then got a call to train with the team.
"It was sheer luck and being in the right place in the right time."
Times have changed, and thanks to a new approach women's cricket in England will never have to rely on luck again.
MMIX
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