Sixteen years ago, Annabel Sutherland was running around the MCG outfield alongside her older brother Will, playing cricket with a tennis ball and plastic stumps.
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Courtesy of her father’s role in the sport — former Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland — the siblings spent multiple Boxing Day Tests at the Melbourne venue, joining Milo in2CRICKET kids during the lunch break.
“Most Boxing Day Tests, I was there at least for a day. Absolutely loved it, I think it’s the best time of the year,” Sutherland told Fox Cricket ahead of the Ashes series.
“Being a Victorian, knowing there’s a Test match at the MCG, it’s not much better than that.
“Growing up, we had some opportunities to get out on the ground as a little Milo cricketer. You dream of being out there and playing in front of some big crowds. I guess I continue to dream big.
“We’ll see what happens come the Ashes.”
Fast forward to 2025, Sutherland became the first woman to score a Test century at the iconic venue, reaching the milestone in 193 balls to put Australia in a commanding position in the pink-ball Ashes contest against England.
With father James watching on from the stands, the hometown hero saluted the crowd and offered a grin having achieved her childhood dream and cemented herself in the sport’s history books.
Sutherland becomes just the third Australian woman to score three Test hundreds, joining Betty Wilson and Jill Kennare on the illustrious list. She’s yet to celebrate her 24th birthday but already boasts more international hundreds than superstar Ellyse Perry.
Sutherland made her international debut in 2020 as a teenager, but her breakout performance in Australian colours arrived three years later during the 2023 Ashes tour of England.
Walking out to bat at No. 8 with Australia in a spot of bother at 6-238, the right-hander peeled off an unbeaten 137 at Trent Bridge, with the tourists clinching an 89-run victory over the old enemy.
Eight months later, Sutherland was promoted to No. 6 for the Perth Test against South Africa and cracked a record-breaking 210.
In the white-ball formats, the all-rounder was named player of England’s Hundred competition last year before plundering consecutive ODI hundreds against India and New Zealand earlier this summer. Having been shortlisted for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award, she remains a heavy favourite to win the Belinda Clark Award next week.
However, despite Australia’s dominance in the multi-format Ashes series, Sutherland struggled to produce her best against England this month, posting scores of 10, 11, 10, 3, 18 and 3 in the white-ball matches.
But everything was building up towards the pink-ball contest, the national team’s first Test match at the MCG since 1949.
“You can just tell there’s a sense of excitement,” Sutherland continued.
“As an Australian or English cricketer, the Ashes is as good as it gets in terms of the history and everything that comes with it.
“The men have done an incredible job over the last couple of Ashes series of showcasing how competitive and firey it can get on the field. It’s been pretty good to watch.
“We’ll be looking to do the same thing.”
On day one of the MCG Test, Perry sustained a hip injury that meant she couldn’t bat in the evening session, creating a vacancy at No. 3.
Sutherland put her hand up. She wanted the chance at first drop.
“I’m always looking to try and sneak up the order a little bit, I think I annoy Shelley (Nitschke) our coach a little bit,” Sutherland laughed.
“Cricket does the talking. As long as I’m trying to move my game forward and find different ways to get better, then I know things will happen.
“It’s out of my control at the end of the day. I’m just enjoying whatever role I’m given in the side. And if I can contribute wherever it is that I’m batting, I’ll be pretty happy.”
Sutherland signalled her intent early, carving her first delivery through to covers for a commanding boundary. She boasts a textbook batting technique, with long levers and a steady base, while she accesses all corners of the ground.
After being dropped by Danni Wyatt-Hodge on 19, she skipped down the wicket and slapped Sophie Ecclestone back over her head for six, racing through the nervous nineties with consecutive boundaries against the England spinners.
And after finding herself stuck on 99 during an untimely drinks break, she crossed the milestone with a full-blooded cut stroke, her 16th boundary of the innings.
Not to be outdone, brother Will enjoyed a successful afternoon in the ongoing Australia A match against the England Lions in Sydney, taking 3-7 from five overs to rip through the middle order.
Having made his ODI debut last year, the eldest Sutherland looms as a future superstar of Australian cricket himself.
During the off-season, Sutherland focused on improving her power game so she could clear the boundary rope more frequently.
“I put a lot of work in over preseason, as I always do, to keep taking my game as far as I can and keep moving forward,” she explained.
“Probably the thing I enjoy most about being a cricketer is continually learning. There’s cricket on all the time, and you can keep reflecting and keep trying to get better.”
Australia is seemingly cruising towards an unprecedented 16-0 series whitewash over England, the first time the feat has been achieved since the multi-format system was introduced in 2013.
The women’s Ashes was also given its own window away from the men’s competition this summer, ensuring the girls have a spotlight to showcase what they’ve got to offer.
“It’s a massive step forward,” Sutherland said.
“The girls are well and truly ready to have the stage to go out there and perform. Even spending time over in England for the Hundred, it was spoken about a little bit with the girls over there.”
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