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Hope shines bright amid GG's XI washout

There wasn't much cricket action but Drummoyne Oval was still the scene of another step forward for women's cricket

It was an occasion for the great and good of Australian public life. Indeed, the country's most important figurehead was there; Meg Lanning arrived to the delight of the waiting crowd about an hour before the start of play.

It is said, after all, that the role of captain of Australia's cricket team is one to rival that of the country's Prime Minister.

Gender, surely, is inconsequential.

Perhaps they discussed their individual merits, Lanning and the country's PM, for he was in attendance, Mr Malcolm Turnbull.

As was the brainchild of the match, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC, titles and all. 

James Sutherland, Cricket Australia's CEO, was also present.

Everywhere one looked, dignitaries of varying moulds were wandering around, waiting expectantly for this little piece of history.

The cricket match, between a Governor-General's XI and the touring Indian women's side, was hoping to make an impact in the world of women's cricket.

This was a match framed on the successful tradition of the male equivalent, the Prime Minister's XI, and hoping to create a tradition of its own.

It started with a bang.

Unfortunately for those waiting, watching, and trying to play, it wasn't a bang that came from the cricket pitch.

The clouds rolled in, the thunder rumbled and the heavens opened. Four overs of soggy, slippery and sodden cricket were delivered by an Indian side for which this was a lone opportunity to roll their arms over before the Twenty20 series against the Southern Stars begins next Tuesday.

For the Australian contingent, those behind the concept of the match itself, it mattered little. This was a day where symbolism and intent overshadowed any on-field result.

Sir Cosgrove, in his role as Governor-General, was vocal in an interview of the importance of this fixture in the cricketing calendar and the precedent it set for the future.

He was confident from the outset and the occasion embraced his enthusiasm. The Governor-General strode out purposefully onto the pitch, Turnbull in tow, to shake the hands of the respective teams in a ceremony with all the pomp and presentation it deserved. The cameras snapped excitedly.

There was a sense of history – a grand occasion. And so it was – women's cricket, or women's sport, now has a place in Australia's political sphere. This was acceptance. Acceptance and acknowledgement that has been a long time coming. Now, finally it has, and Cosgrove, with the full endorsement of Cricket Australia, was the man to deliver.

Unfortunately for the day itself, the anti-climax was crushing.

The crowd was deprived of the opportunity to see the combination of experience and youth of Australian women's cricket mix it with the best of this unknown Indian side. For the Australians, their time will come.

The opportunity to watch the grace of Mithali Raj, the ferocity of Julhan Goswami or to see for themselves the intrigue surrounding teenage wonderbat Smitri Mandhana, however, was drowned out with the drenched wicket before it.

It was a washout of biblical proportions. The covers went on and they stayed on. The puddles grew ever larger. Luckily, the meat pies paraded before the sheltering crowd were delightful. Almost worth the trip itself.

Symbolism and the sense of occasion aside, there were losers of course – the Indian team being the main recipient. Just as the women's game transitions into a professional era, the pace at which it does so sometimes overtakes the logistics.

So it appears for India who, having arrived just a day or so before, had the Governor-General's XI match as their only match-practice before the series itself starts next Tuesday.

Three T20 matches followed swiftly by three ODIs against the world's best team await.

Preparation, of any sort, would have been useful, particularly given the absence of any Indian players in this year's WBBL.

Still, India will no doubt adapt quickly. They'll have to. It will be an interesting spectacle when the series does start. Today however, will be remembered not for what happened on the pitch, but off it – and it's a great step for women's sport that the occasion exists at all.

The best part of all (meat pies aside)? This is just the beginning.

Governor-General’s XI squad: Jess Jonassen (c), Sarah Beard, Holly Ferling, Grace Harris, Delissa Kimmince, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Bridget Patterson, Alexandra Price, Molly Strano, Amanda-Jade Wellington 

India squad (from): Mithali Raj (c), Jhulan Goswamy (vice capt), Smriti Mandhana, MD Thirushkamini, Harmanpreet Kaur, Veda Krishnamurthy, Shikha Pandey, Niranjana Nagarajan, Sushma Verma, Kalpana R, Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Raut, Poonam Yadav, Sneh Rana, VR Vanitha, Anuja Patil, Deepti Sharma