It was December 2015 and Meg Lanning was in for a big day.

At an overcast Junction Oval, she pulled on her Melbourne Stars kit and wiped zinc across the bridge of her nose in preparation for a double-header.

Ten months earlier, Lanning stood alongside Ellyse Perry as Cricket Australia unveiled its plans to launch a Women's Big Bash League.

This move, they hoped, would grow the profile and professionalism of the game, inspiring women and girls across the country to pick up a bat or ball.

Eight teams were agreed on to mirror the men's city franchises, and the wheels were in motion.

Squads were signed and the inaugural season was launched with a photo shoot at Sydney's Luna Park, where players hit tennis balls off a barge into the harbour.

For those who had long been toiling away for their state in the 50-over Women's National Cricket League, the kits were brighter, the contracts greater, and the stakes higher than ever before.

Lanning had been busy in the lead-up, guiding the national side to victory in the Ashes.

Individually, she'd had a brilliant tour highlighted by a century in Bristol and had propelled up the ICC rankings to become the world's best female batter.

Now she was home on Australian soil and eager to see if the WBBL would it live up to the hype.

Lanning won the toss in both opening matches against the Brisbane Heat and claimed consecutive Player of the Match awards in a matter of hours.

The Stars went undefeated after she'd reached 90 runs and 75 not out across the two games.

It was a groundbreaking time for women's sport and yet, there are a few key indicators of how far the game has come when you look back on this day.

Teams no longer play double-headers, nor does the WBBL run in the same window as the BBL.

Ash Barty featured for the Heat during her tennis sabbatical, before we knew her as an Australian Open, Wimbledon and French Open champion.

Lanning is pictured sitting in a camp chair with her teammate and sister Anna.

And there is a very small crowd at the ground mostly consisting of players' family and friends.

Just 10 matches were televised and sadly this was not one of them, so there's no footage available for us to watch these iconic matches.

Compare that with the upcoming season 10, where every match will be broadcast live.

"The WBBL is so different now," Lanning told ABC Sport.

"Playing the same team twice in one day was strange – running out on the field in the morning, eating lunch in between and then going out to do it again that afternoon.

"At the time, we didn't think too much about it because it was new and exciting.

"You could tell it was the start of something big."

Lanning finished as the leading run scorer that season (560), with the highest average (56).

Asked if she could imagine sitting in a camp chair waiting to bat in 2024, Lanning chuckled.

"No, no … I've seen this photo a few times, it's one of my favourites.

"I've got some great memories from the start of the WBBL.

"There were risks Cricket Australia took, not knowing how successful it was going to be.

"T20 has been such a driver to attract fans and increase participation, so it makes sense … but there were questions about whether there was enough depth to fill eight teams.

"I guess you've got to start somewhere, and it has certainly paid off 10 years down the track."

So, how did the Stars prepare tactics for Barty all those years ago?

The 19-year-old tennis prodigy had played just one WNCL match for Queensland ahead of her WBBL debut, so she was a bit of an enigma.

In the first match, Barty tallied 39 runs batting sixth.

It would end up being her highest score before her cricket career petered out.

"We didn't know what plans to come up with, because she hadn't played a hell of a lot of cricket," Lanning said.

"She did quite well in the first match, hit a few boundaries and took on the game, so it was a learning curve for us as much as it was for her.

"In saying that, she didn't look out of place — it is funny to think she was there for the very first WBBL game before going on to do such incredible things in tennis."

Perhaps the easiest way to assess the progress of the competition is by numbers.

Back then, the average wage for a primary squad member was approximately $5,700.

Now, it is just under $49,000.

Additionally, the average female domestic cricketer in Australia without a national contract earns approximately $163,000 from their WNCL state and WBBL commitments.

Lanning has retired from internationals but is still highly sought after for franchise cricket.

She has played in the Indian Women's Premier League and The Hundred in the UK.

But Lanning says nothing compares to the competitive nature of the Australian league.

"It has helped the younger players come into the Australian side more prepared, as from the WBBL they've already learned how they can make that impact straight away," she said.

"Rivalries have been built up with other teams, which adds to it too.

"You know the games are being watched by a lot of people, so that lifts the competitiveness and everyone's ability to perform under pressure.

"What we've achieved has driven other countries to create their own leagues and increase support for their female players to keep up — that's been great for the game worldwide.

"But the one thing that remains, is the depth of talent and the calibre of overseas players that want to be involved in the WBBL – that's what makes it unique."

Thirty-five players have been contracted on a club list across all 10 seasons, including Lanning, current national captain Alyssa Healy and her vice Tahlia McGrath.

As well as South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp and New Zealand captain Sophie Devine.

Executive general manager Alistair Dobson told ABC Sport that it's the quality of cricket and the athletes' stories — like Barty playing in those first games — that have been a catalyst for success.

Appointed head of the Big Bash Leagues in 2019, right before the first standalone women's season, Dobson will again be at the helm as the WBBL takes its next big leap to larger stadiums.

"The standalone window gave the women clear air and prime-time coverage," he said.

"It's been a great evolution and so will our move into tier-one stadiums this season.