Bobby Cross hails former England coach Mark Robinson's impact on women's cricket

The Lancashire Thunder general manager believes Robinson's work has paved the way for a brighter future for the England team and also the game as a whole in this country

Lancashire Thunder general manager Bobby Cross has hailed Mark Robinson for his key role in raising the profile of women's cricket in England.

Robinson, who left his role as England coach last week after four years in charge, has a legacy which is much wider than the 2017 Women's World Cup win on home soil, according to Cross.

The ex-seamer and former Sussex men's coach led England to a memorable triumph two summers ago in front of a full house at Lord's, something the England men replicated in July.

But Cross believes his work in addition to that campaign has paved the way for a brighter future for the England team and also the game as a whole in this country.

"I think the girls and wider cricketing public credit Mark with ushering in that era of professionalism and how training evolved and fitness levels and stuff," he said.

"Mark was probably just what was needed at that time. It was the ECB's decision to offer the initial round of central contracts in 2014, but the way Mark approached it has been brilliant. 

"The knowledge he’s brought to educate the girls skill wise and about the game in a wider sense has been fabulous.

"What I think you will now see is a hugely exciting field of candidates who apply for that job. I think it is now a really high-profile job. Perhaps four years ago, it wasn't at that level.

"I believe Gary Kirsten went for the Indian women's job, for example. But I can't believe that would have been the case three or four years ago.

^{Mark Robinson left his role as England head coach last week}

"I think there will be some top, top names who go for the job which Mark has left."

While Cross' sister Kate was not available to England in 2017 as she battled against well-documented mental health issues, the family were present at Lord's when England beat India in a thrilling World Cup final.

He recalled: "We weren't the favourites going into that tournament even though it was at home.

"It was a great day. To see a full house at Lord's was superb. But, rather than that being something we talk about as a special one-off, you'd hope things like that become more the norm."

While the six-team Super League comes to an end this summer, 2020 will see The Hundred as well as the introduction of a new domestic structure which includes eight regional centres of excellence for women's cricket across the country.

Cross said: "The structure that sits below the England team is a really exciting prospect, those eight regional centres of excellence which supplement the Hundred.

"That will enable us to work with our local girls 12 months of the year, which we've never had before. I think that's where you will see a step change in the standard of the girls who sit below the England set-up.

"We're looking at the prospect of there being professional female cricketers across the country, employed by these centres and sitting underneath the centrally-contracted England cricketers.

"Across the country that would obviously see an increase in the number of professional women's cricketers. That's where we will really start to raise the bar."

Courtesy of the ECB Reporters Network