Meg Lanning can't help but feel a little strange when she sees her face plastered across the windows of the Australian team bus.
In between the faces of Lanning and her Australian teammates Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy, Elyse Villani, Megan Schutt and Ash Gardner is the message "#WatchMe".
Australian captain Meg Lanning ahead of the Womens T20 match to be played in Manuka.
That is exactly what the Australian public is doing as they gear up to watch their national side hunt for a Twenty20 series whitewash against New Zealand at Manuka Oval on Friday night.
While Lanning laughs it is odd seeing her face on the side of a bus decked out in green and gold, she says it is just another sign of how far women's cricket has come in recent years.
Record audiences for women's cricket with a peak of 1.298 million have tuned in to watch on television, while the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder have opted to ticket their standalone home WBBL fixtures in another sign of women's cricket's march into the mainstream.
"It’s an exciting time to be a part of women’s sport and women’s cricket," Lanning said.
"There has been a lot of hard work that has gone into building this series up and I think it just shows where the women’s game is now in Australian sport.
"People are a lot more aware of our team and love watching our team as well. We’re playing an exciting brand of cricket as well, which hopefully people enjoy watching.
"We are very aware of how lucky we are to be playing on such big occasions and we’re always really excited about the opportunity.
"[The team bus] just shows the work that has gone into promoting this series and the team, and we’re very appreciative of the support we’ve received.
"Hopefully that just helps someone driving past know the game is on, and hopefully we get a few more people here."
The growing profile of elite women’s cricket and the rise of grassroots programs has led to 60 per cent of new cricket players being female according to the National Cricket Census.
Much of the boom has been credited to the dominant Australian women's team and their growing profiles with the likes of Lanning, Perry and Healy quickly becoming household names.
Cricket's rise to prominence in the junior female ranks has meant more young girls are now taking up the sport than boys, with a remarkable six in every 10 new participants being female.
The national team's long-standing partnership with Commonwealth Bank has paved the way for Cricket Australia to open more pathways for female players and bolstered the Growing Cricket for Girls fund by $1 million.
Perry has been a headline act for Australia on the biggest stage, with her double-century during last season's Ashes at North Sydney Oval undoubtedly playing a role in the staggering participation rise.
"It’s been incredible to see the growth of women’s sport over the last few years," Perry said.
"It’s inspiring to see so many young girls taking up the sport and I hope that, with more exposure to the game, a whole new generation of Aussies will continue to grow our game and have the chance to achieve their goals and aspirations."
TWENTY20 INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Friday: Australia v New Zealand White Ferns at Manuka Oval, 7.20pm. Tickets from Ticketek.
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