Is New Zealand holding back women's Test cricket?

For years fans and players have been crying out for more women's Test cricket.

Yet by the time Australia's women next don the whites at Headingley to kickstart the 2027 Ashes, 15 months will have passed since their last red-ball match.

Much of this comes down to the team's limited opposition. Just four of the top-ranked women's teams have cricket boards willing to commit to Tests.

Australia, England, India and South Africa have been pushing forward the past five years.

They've played 13 Tests since 2021, either as a standalone or part of a multi-format series, a significant improvement on the five years prior when two Tests were played worldwide.

Both of these fell in the 2017 and 2019 Ashes. The biennial contest has safeguarded tradition for England and Australia at a time when governing bodies have been hell-bent on growing the women's game through the shorter formats.

In fact, the Ashes points-based system used to determine the better side across three T20Is, three ODIs and a single Test, has widely been suggested by administrators and players as the best way to increase women's Tests overall. Enticing those on the fence to give it a go.

Tacking on a four-day Test match to a tour that already features six white-ball fixtures sounds like a no-brainer.

Unfortunately, two countries have knocked back that idea this year.

Australia missed out on a chance to face the West Indies in a Test for the first time in 50 years in March when their plans to play a multi-format series in the Caribbean fell through.

Then New Zealand declined to play a Test against Australia later in the year.

The three T20Is and three ODIs scheduled between the trans-Tasman rivals were originally supposed to run through February and March, but when the ICC's inaugural Champions Trophy shifted on the calendar, the tour had to be split.

Instead the three T20Is will now be played at North Sydney Oval, starting Sunday, while the ODIs will still be played at the end of the summer.

As close neighbours, the White Ferns would be ideal opponents for regular Test match cricket. Both in proximity and habit, the sides already meet most seasons for the Rose Bowl series.

Sadly, New Zealand Cricket doesn't share that view.

Despite being one of the first three nations to play women's Test cricket in the 1930s, it now refuses to play the longest version of the game.

Limited overs prioritised

The summer of 1934–35 saw the birth of women's Test cricket, when Australia and New Zealand hosted England on its first overseas tour.

Now, the White Ferns haven't played a Test since 2004.

After the governance of the men's and women's sides of the game were amalgamated, the frequency of Tests for the White Ferns gradually decreased and have now been non-existent for 22 years.

It also appears New Zealand Cricket is unwilling to budge on the matter, as per their previous statement in the media:

"The limited-overs formats have proven to be very effective in terms of attracting and retaining young players, which is a significant factor in the health of the women's game here.

"In time, this will provide a bigger base from which talented players will emerge to ultimately play for the White Ferns.

"Focusing on formats which include ICC global events, such as World Cups, is our preference for now."

ABC Sport requested a fresh response and more clarification but did not hear back.

That means retiring Kiwi legends Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu never got to experience red-ball cricket internationally.

At the end of the T20 World Cup the trio retired.

Various Australian players told ABC Sport it was an "atrocity" and a "real shame" that after 15 to 20 years of service the trio weren't offered the opportunity.

"Those girls are absolute icons and to think that they've never played a Test match and never will, knowing that they want to, that's tricky," Australia captain Sophie Molineux said.

"Hopefully one day we can play another Test against New Zealand, that would be really special."

"It's a tragedy that they won't get a baggy black cap," Beth Mooney said.

"I feel really sorry for them," Ellyse Perry added.

"They've had amazing, decorated international careers and never got to experience it."

Equal pay to blame

In 2022, New Zealand Cricket was heralded for a groundbreaking pay deal that granted men and women equal match fees.

From then on, when representing their country, both sets of athletes would be paid $NZ4,000 ($3,245) per ODI and $NZ2,500 per T20I.

Although this five-year agreement, due to expire next year, was a positive step in the recognition of female cricketers, it seems to have put the final nail in the coffin for Tests. Requiring a fee of $NZ10,250 per player, it pushed the dream further out of reach.

Especially in light of New Zealand Cricket's latest budget update, which predicted a $NZ7.3 million deficit for the past financial year.

New chief executive Geoff Allott started in the role in July and has indicated the organisation will need "to be prudent" as it looks to get back on track and "ensure long-term sustainability" of the game.

White Ferns head coach Ben Sawyer recently finished up a four-year tenure where he took the team to its maiden Women's T20 World Cup victory in 2024 and a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Speaking with ABC Sport, Sawyer highlighted the financial burden and the recent news that the England and Wales Cricket Board is considering footing the bill for its April Test match against the West Indies in order to ensure their 2027 multi-format series goes ahead.

"The reality is that it's a very expensive venture because of the equal match payments in New Zealand, and the cost is a huge part of it," Sawyer said.

"I'm assuming that's over $NZ150,000 in match payments and there are other priorities for them.

"Their domestic structure isn't full-time, and so it's my opinion that they think that money could be better used elsewhere."

Sawyer has previously held a range of coaching roles in women's cricket — as an Australian assistant, the head coach of the Sydney Sixers and the head coach of the Birmingham Phoenix.

He explained that New Zealand's top players are only contracted from October to March for eight hours per week. They train individually in the off-season and with teammates in-season at night after work.

When Sawyer first took on the White Ferns job, he recommended the national sporting body copy England's county system and gradually build their numbers the same way; starting with two to three professionals in each county, before eventually signing five to seven and then making the entire team full-time.

Since then, he hasn't seen any progress in this regard.

"I've always respected the vision that Cricket Australia have for five to 10 years down the track and the money they're willing to invest; that's what makes them the best in the world," he said.

If New Zealand Cricket was to change its mind and green-light a women's Test, Sawyer believes it'd be better to play someone with a lower ranking and a similar part-time domestic structure.

"They'd need a good lead in, and I wouldn't necessarily want to play Australia first.

"Maybe that's where two countries like New Zealand and Sri Lanka get together and say let's play one.

"I've got no doubt it'd be tough and hard the first time, but it's the only way to get better."